“He’s like Beckham and De Bruyne” - Gary Neville on Liverpool star

Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)

Sky Sports pundit and former Manchester United player Gary Neville has heaped praise on Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold for his performance against Leeds United.

Speaking on Sky Sports' Monday Night Football, Neville compared Trent Alexander-Arnold's passing to that of Kevin De Bruyne and David Beckham. Neville said:

“He's the best passer of a ball at right-back that I've ever seen. He's David Beckham and Kevin De Bruyne at right-back. I loved him against Leeds. He was breathtaking.”

Trent Alexander-Arnold enjoyed a great game against Leeds United on Sunday evening. The 22-year-old Liverpool full-back provided an assist to Mohamed Salah for the Reds' first goal in a convincing 3-0 away win over Marcelo Bielsa's side.

Alexander-Arnold's assist to Salah was the young Englishman's 35th assist in the Premier League, which equalled Gary Neville's tally. However, the Liverpool right-back has played 267 games fewer than the Manchester United legend.

Alexander-Arnold has achieved this feat in 133 Premier League appearances while Neville needed 400 games to reach 35 assists. However, it is worth noting that the role of a full-back has changed dramatically since the days of Gary Neville.

Trent Alexander-Arnold is a product of Liverpool's youth system and has so far made 183 appearances in all competitions registering 10 goals and 46 assists.


Liverpool off to a great start in the Premier League

Following a disappointing title defense last season, Liverpool have made a bright side to their Premier League campaign this time around.

The position Liverpool struggled to deal with last season was their defense following lengthy injuries to the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip and Joe Gomez. However, since the return of van Dijk and Matip, Liverpool have looked rock solid at the back. They have conceded just once in their opening four Premier League games.

Jurgen Klopp has also utilized the likes of Kostas Tsimikas in the absence of Andy Robertson. However, the changes have not hampered Liverpool's ability to create chances from their full-backs.

The only thing that is a source of worry for Liverpool is their squad depth. The Reds do not have the luxury of a massive squad with quality players available on the bench. Teams such as Manchester United, Chelsea and Manchester City, on the other hand, boast incredible squad depth.

Jurgen Klopp will be hoping for an injury-free season as Liverpool aim to win back their lost Premier League crown.


Also Read: David James' column - Ranking the 5 best managers in world football at the moment

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Edited by Anantaajith Raghuraman