‘When I’m in the academy, I’ll try to pick Steven Gerrard’s brains’

Trent Alexander-Arnold is staying grounded as he seeks to emulate boyhood heroes, writes Tim Nash

For some, the path to find the right career can take time. For others, it is more straightforward. Liverpool right back Trent AlexanderArnold knew what he wanted to do from the age of seven, when the club’s 2005 Champions League open-top bus parade came past his house in the Merseyside suburb of West Derby.

It gave him the inspiration not just to become a footballer for his hometown club, but acts as his motivation to help bring those glory days back.

“I was thinking, ‘That’s what I want to do one day,’” said Alexander-Arnold, 19. “We were all just standing on the wall outside, me and my mates, and playing footy in the front garden just waiting for them to come.

“Then you see all the players on the open-top bus going right past your house with the Champions League trophy. It was just unbelievable. You see your idols standing up there and you see a whole city so happy, and sitting in my mum’s car driving around seeing everywhere red.”

Steven Gerrard was one player whose autograph Alexander-Arnold used to queue for. Liverpool’s Melwood training ground is a short walk from where Alexander-Arnold grew up and he used to try to find a gap in the fence to watch them train.

“I’d try to glimpse at the people who I aspired to be – Gerrard, [Jamie] Carragher, [Xabi] Alonso and [Fernando] Torres, but it was hard with the high walls,” he said.

“The people that won things were always heroes. I remember going to the playing fields over the road with my brothers and trying to find some grass to play on.”

Gerrard – now Liverpool Under-18 coach – singled out Alexander-Arnold this week as one “who will get better and better”. It means a lot to the youngster. “I know what it feels like to watch a Scouser on the pitch, so homegrown players are always good for the club,” he said.

“With him being my idol, being able to read those words was special.” Gerrard is on hand now to pass on advice, which Alexander-Arnold is eager to swallow up. “Whenever I’m in the academy I’ll try to pick his brain on how I can get better,” he added.

Advice has also come from Liverpool’s bitter rivals Manchester United. John Alexander, AlexanderArnold’s uncle, used to be United’s secretary and the youngster made his Premier League debut against United.

“He texted to say ‘good luck’ and afterwards said I had a really good game,” he said. “He gave me some advice, which I took on board.

“But he never tried to persuade me to join United. He was happy that I was happy where I was.” Alexander-Arnold seems remarkably sensible for his tender years. Getting involved in the charity An Hour For Others, which helps the underprivileged, has kept his feet on the ground.

He has formed a close bond with Louis Henry, an eight-year-old who has cerebral palsy. “It’s simple to give an hour, but it can make a big difference to someone,” he said. “Me and my mum have a close relationship with his family, so I’ve seen him quite often. If you ever get in a position to influence and inspire the youth of the country, you should do it. That is how I have been brought up – to never give up, never take anything for granted.”