Gamble which took Alexander-arnold to a new level
It has been a remarkable 12 months for Trent Alexander-arnold. A year which started with him turning down the chance to represent England Under-19s so he could concentrate on fighting for a first-team place at Liverpool – they went on to become European champions in his absence – has seen him become a regular at Anfield, playing in a Champions League final and now going to the World Cup in Russia.
The 19-year-old only made his full England debut in the final warm-up match against Costa Rica last week and there is a broad grin – permanently fixed, it feels – as he discusses his incredible season.
There is just one moment the smile falters. It comes when Alexander-arnold considers the disappointment of losing that Champions League final in Kiev to Real Madrid and the agony of being so close to the trophy.
“When I walked down the stage with my silver medal past the cup, obviously you cannot describe what the feeling is like but it is the closest thing to heartbreak I have ever had,” Alexander-arnold said.
“I was just really disappointed. I felt like I let everyone down and I am sure the rest of the lads felt like that as well.
“Obviously it feels like you have got so far and you are so close to winning it, but it slipped through our fingers. In a knockout tournament it is not really about your own performance – it is about the team. So I would rather have had a stinker and got sent off and win it than play well and lose.”
With the performance of goalkeeper Loris Karius it really did slip through Liverpool’s fingers, but Alexander-arnold’s own assured display confirmed in Gareth Southgate’s mind that the right-back was ready for a senior call-up for Russia.
Such is his burgeoning confidence that in Alexander-arnold’s first training session he struck such an impressive goal – a shot from distance – that the Football Association put it out on social media.
“The other players were probably surprised that I tried to score like that,” Alexander-arnold said. “A few months ago I wouldn’t have shot. I have probably got the confidence now to do it.”
Last summer Alexander-arnold withdrew from the Under-19s squad for the European Championship, which they won in Georgia.
“I always wanted to go, but it was a difficult decision,” Alexanderarnold said. “But I wanted to focus on becoming first-choice rightback at Liverpool, and I thought, ‘I am going to need the rest’.
“The tournament cut into a bit of pre-season and I needed to be in and around the Liverpool team to show the manager I was improving and still had the hunger to get better. Obviously it has paid off.
“The FA was understanding and I knew they wouldn’t hold a grudge. It is hard to think just how far things have come in the last year.”