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Trent Alexander-Arnold has admitted that he has been impressed by the performances of Chelsea defender Reece James and believes the right-back is 'up there with the best in the Premier League'.
Trent Alexander-Arnold has fast established himself as one of the best right-backs in the world in recent years, since making his debut for Liverpool in 2016. The 22-year-old is currently out injured but has kept tabs on the progress of Chelsea star Reece James, who is competing with him for the right-back spot in the England National team.
20-year-old Reece James has also had a quick rise to fame at Chelsea. The right-back rose through Chelsea's famed youth system and spent the 2018-19 season on loan at Wigan Athletic in the Championship, where he gained crucial experience.
James impressed one and all with his performances for Wigan and was retained by Chelses before the start of the 2019-20 season. The Englishman spent much of last season trying to displace veteran defender Cesar Azpilicueta from the right-back position, which he finally managed to do.
Reece James has now become a regular in the Chelsea starting line-up, and his stellar performances for the Blues earned him a call-up for the England national team. James made four appearances for England, during which he impressed punidts and fans.
Trent Alexander-Arnold welcomes the competition for England places from Chelsea's Reece James
Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold said that he welcomes the competition from his Chelsea rival.
"I remember him always being good for Chelsea youth teams, remember watching him in the Youth Cup," Trent Alexander-Arnold told the Evening Standard.
"Chelsea is probably the hardest team to break into as a local lad and as a young English player. For him to be able to do that is a statement itself. He has shown since he came in over the last year or so that he is a good player, solid defensively and good going forward," he said.
Trent Alexander-Arnold heaped praise on his England teammate and went on to say that Reece James has a bright future, and the potential to become one of the best defenders in the world.
"He is an all-round right-back and probably up there with some of the best in the league. He is still young and has a lot to learn but as for his talent and potential he is a very good player," Alexander-Arnold said.
"Competition for places is always exciting. It is always something that helps me, I think helps a lot of players get better. I think right-back is the most populated position for England, there are a lot of really good players going for one position so it is always going to cause headaches for the manager," he added.
Trent Alexander-Arnold and Reece James will face competition from the likes of Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Kieran Trippier, and Tariq Lamptey for the right-back spots in England's squad for Euro 2021.
It is currently the Liverpool and Chelsea defenders who lead the queue for the spots, but it will be interesting to see who Gareth Southgate decides to pick in the final squad for the tournament.
