Trent Alexander-Arnold is prepared to take any chances he gets at first-team football this season firmly with both hands.
Trent Alexander-Arnold is ready to take any first team chances afforded to him by manager Jürgen Klopp firmly with both hands.
The 18-year-old is set to make only his third professional start for the club when they visit Vicarage Road on Saturday due to the absence of Nathaniel Clyne and he is reportedly ready to seize his opportunity should he get it.
“I’m not sure whether I will get that opportunity but I am hoping to take it if I do get it,” the full-back revealed.
“I’ll be fighting for that position as will all the other lads. There are a lot of strong players here and we could put two different teams out at the start of the season.
“If the chance comes, I’ll be ready. If there is an opportunity you have to take it. If I get told I am playing against Watford I will look to take that chance.”
The youngster made 12 first-team appearances last season, including a baptism of fire when he made his full Premier League debut at Old Trafford back in January and was given the task of keeping tabs on tricky winger Anthony Martial.
His performances for both the U23s and first-team squads earned him the chance of a call up for England’s Under-19 European Championships campaign but the full-back instead opted to remain on Merseyside and give himself the best chance of forcing his way into the manager’s plans.
“I featured a lot during the qualifying games but to not be there to lift the trophy with them hurt a little bit,” he revealed.
“I watched the whole tournament and I thought we deserved to win it. I was watching like a fan on the edge of my seat hoping we would dig deep and get that win. When they did I was made up to see them lift the trophy.
“It was a shame not to be there but the focus during pre-season was to focus on club football and that is what I have done.”
As a result of his hard work and dedication on the training ground, the 18-year old has been a prominent feature of Klopp’s lineups during pre-season so far and was particularly impressive against Bayern Munich when he shackled Franck Ribery.
“It was obviously going to be a tough task for me going up against a world class player and one of the best in the world,” he recalled.
“You just have to see it as a chance and that is what I do every time the manager picks me to go on the pitch. I just have to show why I deserve that chance. I tried to do that against Bayern.
“The whole game was tough for all of us. They are excellent. We’ve been trying to put into practice all the things we’ve been doing in training and particularly against Bayern you could see from our attacking play that there are a lot of exciting things to come.
“I did not think about getting a souvenir or anything,” he added.
“I just went straight into the changing room because that is what I am used to doing. I try not to pay too much respect to the players I am playing against. I think that is what can affect you. You have to go out there and focus on yourself and not who you are up against.”
The Reds fixtures against Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid served as the perfect preparations for what Liverpool’s squad can expect to come up against should they progress past their Champions League qualifying playoff and into the competition itself.
The squad return to Germany for the first leg against Hoffenheim on the 15th and Alexander-Arnold was quick to affirm that the Audi Cup was ideal preparation.
“That’s a big reason to go to tournaments like that and play the best teams in Europe,” the defender added.
“It’s to prepare us for the Champions League if we get through the qualifier. But we can’t assume we are going to playing in venues like that every couple of weeks because there is still a qualifier to get through. We need to make sure we are playing at places like that more often.”
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