Time really does fly when you are having fun. The European champions are finally back in action at the weekend with Liverpool looking to maintain their gargantuan lead in the race for the Premier League title.
LONDON, ENGLAND – JANUARY 11: Trent Alexander-Arnold of Liverpool FC during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool FC at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on January 11, 2020 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Visionhaus)
Jurgen Klopp’s runaway league leaders will welcome bitter rivals Manchester United to Anfield on Sunday with the match representing an important landmark for one particular individual.
The north-west clash will mark three years since Trent Alexander-Arnold made his Premier League debut for his boyhood club against United at Old Trafford in 2017. The then 18-year-old was thrown into the deep end to deputise for the injured Nathaniel Clyne and it’s fair to say he hasn’t looked back since.
After an outstanding inaugural bout in the top-flight in English football, Alexander-Arnold has gone on to establish himself as the finest right-back in world football. The academy graduate has proven to be the club’s best home-grown prospect since former captain Steven Gerrard and is an irreplaceable figure in Klopp’s current record-breaking squad.
He made history after becoming the youngest ever player to start in back-to-back Champions League finals – including that famous night in Madrid that secured the club’s sixth European triumph.
With 12 assists already this campaign, only Manchester City’s Keven de Bruyne can boast a better record in terms of supplying for his team.
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – JANUARY 15: Anthony Martial of Manchester United is faced by Trent Alexander-Arnold of Liverpool during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Liverpool at Old Trafford on January 15, 2017 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
At just 21 years of age, Alexander-Arnold has already featured 115 times for the club he has idealised since he was a boy. There is every possibility that he could surpass Jamie Carragher’s club record appearances of 857 spanning over a 17-year period.
The England international is Liverpool’s deadliest asset in terms of creating chances for his team and we predict he will be the man to make the difference against the Red Devils on Sunday.
Alexander-Arnold is still waiting for his first assist of the new decade but there is every chance he will break his duck for 2020 against the club’s fiercest rivals.
United are currently 27 points behind Liverpool in the league table despite having played a game more than Klopp’s side. Sunday’s visitors are without a win at Anfield since 2016 and the last time the old enemy came to the home of the world champions their manager lost his job.
Also, no-one in United’s armoury comes close to Alexander-Arnold’s record in-terms of assists. Daniel James has proven the team’s best source of creativity with the Welshman registering six league assists so far this campaign.
Liverpool’s No.66 has created 60 chances for the league leaders this season – only De Bruyne and Norwich’s Emiliano Buendia have more.
With the Reds currently at the peak of their powers, one thing is for certain this weekend, it will not be an enjoyable afternoon for the travelling United camp.