Trent Alexander-Arnold prediction already true at Liverpool as prodigy 'apprentice' takes new step

Trent Alexander-Arnold prediction already true at Liverpool as prodigy 'apprentice' takes new step

Liverpool Echo Sports·2021-09-17 14:00

As Liverpool held on for a narrow 1-0 victory over AC Milan in the UEFA Youth League on Wednesday afternoon, it was clear who the Italian side were trying to mark out of the game.Sixteen-year-old winger Kaide Gordon was kicked, pulled and shoved whenever AC Milan came near him upended on plenty of occasions, but never losing his patience. When you are that good at that age a 16-year-old who normally plays U23s football, who could make his senior debut for his new club next week and who made his Derby first-team debut almost a year ago, and who was clearly one of the best players on the field in his clash of top U19s sides it comes with the territory.It is little wonder, then, that Trent Alexander-Arnold is such a big fan.Read MoreRelated ArticlesRead MoreRelated Articles"Kaide has so much potential its frightening, really," Alexander-Arnold said a month ago."Ive wanted to be with [Gordon and Harvey Elliott] like Hendo was with me a mentor," the Reds right-back said in the same interview with The Athletic."Hendo tried to lead by example and show me the way. Everything I do is trying to set the example for them, just as Hendo did for me." There are others coming through in Liverpool's academy, too. Bobby Clark has just signed from Newcastle and the club have high hopes for him; Mateusz Musialowski is another exciting player, while James Balagizi only turns 18 later in the week.Gordon and Elliott, though, are the two most likely to make it at Anfield long-term, and Gordon could even be handed his first competitive minutes at senior level for the Reds next midweek with the trip to Norwich City in the EFL Cup. Read MoreRelated ArticlesRead MoreRelated ArticlesFor each and every one of the players coming through, Alexander-Arnold is an inspiration. It should not be forgotten, either, the importance of having a tangible example of a player who has stepped up to the first-team successfully in recent times and gone on to become so successful. At Man City, Chelsea and plenty of others, that is not necessarily the case. How many players have come through at Man City? Phil Foden is one. There are few others. At Chelsea, Alexander-Arnold would likely have been sent out on loan rather than trusted to come in immediately and make an impact on the first-team. As Liverpool go to sign more players in their mid-teenage years, having that knowledge of a proper pathway to the top will be vital, while for those already in the system, that will already be true. Would Gordon have signed for Man City in January? Or Bobby Clark from Newcastle this summer? Unlikely, on the basis that their chances would have been far more limited there than in Kirkby.Alexander-Arnold, as the poster boy, knows exactly what it takes to make it, and exactly what the demands placed on young talents trying to make it at Anfield.Trent Alexander-Arnold posted this on his Instagram story.Young starlets trying to follow in his footsteps just a couple of seasons on from him establishing himself at senior level could not have a better role model, but neither could the endorsement of Gordon be more telling, with the Scouser labelling him his 'apprentice' in his latest comments about the England youth prodigy.That Alexander-Arnold is so excited about the talented young winger says everything: he sees some of his own talent in Gordon, and the player clearly has the desire and ability to press on and develop.Successfully combine that with the leadership that future Liverpool captain Alexander-Arnold is already showing, and the Reds will be onto a certified winner.The treatment that Gordon received from AC Milan on Wednesday suggests that perhaps they already are.Read MoreRelated ArticlesRead MoreRelated Articles

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