Smiles better as Alexander-Arnold feels proud to carry the banner for change
Southgate’s young prospect has his feet firmly planted on the ground despite success, reports Jim White
If you want a measure of the change Gareth Southgate delivered to the England team this summer, it is there in the outlook of Trent AlexanderArnold. Last week, the teenaged Liverpool full-back was sitting in the gym at St George’s Park being quizzed about his jet-heeled rise to prominence.
He was asked the standout moment in a first season in which he made his debut for his hometown club, was given a regular starting berth by Jurgen Klopp and played in the
Champions League final. He considered the question before saying: “I think it was seeing my family smile at the World Cup.”
There was a time, not that long ago, when turning out for England was reckoned by many of those called up as less an opportunity to smile than frown. It was a burden, something they wanted to be over as quickly as possible so that they could return to the comfort of the club game.
Alexander-Arnold is typical of those who have benefited from the Southgate way, who feel motivated, enthused, above all privileged to play for their country. His attitude is all the more noteworthy given that in Russia, behind Kieran Trippier in the selection rankings, the young right-back spent his time gathering splinters on the bench, making only one appearance,
in the dead-rubber group game against Belgium. And still he loved it.
“I enjoyed every minute,” he said of the World Cup. “If you had told me a year ago that I would be where I am now, I would have took it and ran. I am grateful for every opportunity, whether that’s playing or not playing. Just being around the England team and being part of the special journey that meant so much to the country.”
A lifelong Liverpool fan, he recalls knowing he had been smitten when, as a six-year-old, he watched Steven Gerrard and his team-mates parade the Champions League trophy through the city in 2005.
Despite Sir Alex Ferguson’s efforts to sign him for Manchester United, he was enrolled in the Anfield academy soon after, where his athleticism, pace and intelligence quickly marked him
out as a proper prospect. Educated at private school (where he excelled as a rugby player and picked up a full quota of GCSEs) his progress has redefined the term smooth. He has made the transition to first-team regular and is in line to pick up another international cap. And all this before he has reached the age of 20. Here’s how young he is: he still lives at home, obliged by his mother to participate in a domestic chores rota (his speciality, vacuum cleaning).
“The odds are stacked against you becoming a footballer so my family made sure I always had a backup plan,” he said. “So far, I have been lucky. I have been given the opportunity to perform on the biggest stages. You are brought up to realise that there will always be tough times in football and that nothing is ever straightforward. The season wasn’t always smooth,” he said.
In particular he recalled two Premier League matches against Manchester United and Crystal Palace. “That was where Marcus [Rashford] and [Wilfried] Zaha gave me a tough time. Marcus is probably the fastest in the league. But it’s not
just out-and-out pace. It’s getting you off balance, that’s when they get you. It’s not just a foot race. They get you off balance, then your body shape’s not right and they’re gone.”
Klopp trusted the youngster against Manchester City in the Champions League quarter-finals and was rewarded with performances of such authority and maturity that international recognition followed. Now Southgate is reaping the benefits of Klopp’s gamble, likely to give the full-back a start in Tuesday’s friendly against Switzerland at the King Power Stadium. And for Alexander-Arnold “friendly” has a further meaning.
“The important factor for us is that we’re on the road and will be at Leicester. It’s a bit more natural than every game being at Wembley. Since Gareth’s come in, he’s wanted to connect the fans again with the players. Make everyone fall in love with the game again. And that’s part of it. My debut was at Leeds. I really felt the love and support from being on the road.”
A Liverpool player feeling the love at Leeds: things really have changed.
‘I am grateful for being a part of England’s special journey. It meant so much to the country’