Jamie Carragher has noticed a big change in Trent Alexander-Arnold this year and said he has ‘bulked up’.
Alexander-Arnold has excelled again this season with 19 assists and two goals in 45 appearances in all competitions. Following Saturday’s FA Cup final victory, at just 23, the full-back has won every trophy possible for Liverpool. On Monday Night Football, both Carragher and fellow pundit Gary Neville named their Premier League teams of the season. Neville included Walker at right-back but Carragher picked Alexander-Arnold and said there is one particular adjustment he has seen in Liverpool’s homegrown star this season.
“He looks like he’s bulked up,” Carragher told Monday Night Football. “He has filled out and he’s just getting bigger and stronger. He looks a lot more like a real man in that shirt.
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“He didn’t have the power – he never will have the power of a Reece James or a Kyle Walker – but he’s a lot stronger now. So when someone is running and they knock it past him, he can get that shoulder and arm across and I’ve noticed that a lot more in the last four or five months.”
While Alexander-Arnold’s attacking instincts have never been questioned, his defensive acumen has often been criticised. However, Carragher believes due to his playing style, this is unfair. He said: “I think Trent because what Trent does for Liverpool, in the way they play and dominate, he’s not really a full-back. I think he’s unique. Actually I think his defending has improved. I thought he was really good against Chelsea in the FA Cup Final.”
Twelve of Alexander-Arnold’s assists this season have come in the Premier League, the second most behind his Liverpool teammate Mohamed Salah. He has also contributed to the league’s joint-best defence as the Reds have shipped just 24 goals along with Manchester City. The Liverpool full-back will hope to add some more silverware before the end of the campaign as Jurgen Klopp’s side chase an unprecedented quadruple, while he has also been nominated for PFA Young Player of the Season.
