Trent Alexander-Arnold says Jordan Henderson taught him to get over his nerves when he was first introduced to the first team picture with both Liverpool and England.
Local lad Alexander-Arnold made his Reds debut in a League Cup tie against Tottenham in October 2016, and in less than four years he has gone on to amass 127 first-team appearances, nine England caps, a Champions League winners' medal and now a Premier League title success.
But the right-back says none of that would have been possible if it wasn't for Henderson's help, as the Reds skipper helped him realise that he belonged in the company of the senior stars for both club and country, with the pair growing closer during their time together with England at the 2018 World Cup.
“Hendo was big,” Alexander-Arnold told Red Bull as part of their Red Bull Pro campaign.
“I never really had an amazing bond with any of the lads because I’ve always been quiet, but he just made me comfortable being around them type of lads.
"He made me not be afraid to make mistakes, and not feel as though I’m not as talented as the other lads.
"After that I wasn’t overthinking asking for the ball… so I’d take more risks and, by doing that, I became a better player.”
Alexander-Arnold's Reds bow against Spurs came just 18 days after his 18th birthday, and he says he could barely contain his nerves when he stepped out to play at Anfield.
“They’d named the team and I was starting, and I remember being really confused because I hadn’t been expecting it,” he continued as he recalled a game which the Reds won 2-1 thanks to a brace from Daniel Sturridge.
“It was so nerve-wrecking because you’ve never played in front of 50-55,000 people before.
"But it was one of the best days of my life.”
Now 21, Alexander-Arnold says he still sees his debut as his proudest moment at Liverpool.
“I feel as though my debut was my proudest because, even though I always dreamed of winning the Champions League and winning trophies, first and foremost, you need to make your debut and I knew once I’d played that game, I was a Liverpool player," he said.
"No one could ever take that away from me.”
