Alan Shearer is confident that Trent Alexander-Arnold will become widely regarded as the best Premier League set-piece taker in 10 years time.
Shearer was speaking on the Match of the Day: Top 10 podcast (15mins 5secs). Currently ranking Alexander-Arnold as the eighth best set-piece taker in history, Shearer thinks the 23-year-old will soon be moving up the list.
“If we sit here again in 10 years’ time, then Trent I am certain will be number one. I have no doubt about it,” said Shearer.
Fellow guest Micah Richards thought Shearer was ranking the Liverpool man unnecessarily low.
“Where have you got him at the moment? Eighth? That’s embarrassing. How is he so low!”
Still just twenty-three, it just goes to show how incredibly highly thought of Liverpool’s right-back is that he features on the list at all. In ten years time it’ll be a surprise if this is the only list he sits atop of.
Stealing the show
If any football fan still has any doubts about the quality of Trent’s ability to deliver a pinpoint ball, they need only watch the highlights of Liverpool’s win last night.
Granted, they weren’t set-piece deliveries, but Alexander-Arnold played two world-class balls for teammates within a matter of minutes.
His first, a faded ball over the top of the Benfica defence, was the catalyst in Liverpool doubling their lead. The second was even better, a sensational first time pass into the channel which Mohamed Salah really should have scored from.
On the night it was his full-back partner Andy Robertson who claimed an assist from a set-piece. But it was Alexander-Arnold’s passing that stole the show.
Getting better and better
Trent has already been pivotal in Liverpool securing a Premier League and Champions League title. Despite that, the England man is arguably having his best ever season right now.
In terms of numbers, his best Premier League season came when Liverpool won the league in 2019/20. That year he manged four goals to add to his 13 assists.
So far this term he has two goals and 11 assists with eight games still to play. It looks likely that he will break his own record of goal creation and is currently set to take home the league’s Playmaker of the Season award.
The right-back is a truly special player who is improving year-on-year. If he continues his current trajectory, we could be looking at Trent as one of the best Premier League players of all time.
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