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Man United legend Rio Ferdinand has heaped praise on Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold in the wake of the young right-back’s recent poor performances.
Ferdinand described the defender as being ‘ridiculously gifted’. He made these comments on punditry for BT Sport at half time of Liverpool’s Champions League game against Ajax.
Trent Alexander-Arnold’s attacking prowess has never been in doubt. Roy Keane, a man who is notoriously difficult to impress, said that the 23 year old Liverpool player has changed fans' perceptions of full backs and praised ‘the assists and positions he gets himself in…what a brilliant player’.
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Ferdinand echoed this praise of Alexander-Arnold’s attacking talent by saying ‘There aren’t many – if any – around the world, other than Reece James, who give you that output up front in those forward areas that he gives you’.
However, it’s Alexander-Arnold’s defensive capabilities which have drawn much criticism.
Ferdinand recognised that ‘there are areas that he needs to tighten up’ and said that, whilst he was good going forward, ‘It’s just the other side of it. You want the balance in these games to come’.
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But he believes that, despite Alexander-Arnold’s defensive woes, he will still have a great career, saying ‘listen, this kid is going to be a legend in the game for years to come’.
Rio is certainly an individual whose opinion on the art of defending is worth listening to, he was twice the most expensive defender in history after his moves to Leeds in 2000 and Man United in 2002.
It’s hard to disagree with Rio’s assessment, the 23 year-old has won every major trophy and, on an individual level, has been included in the PFA Team Of The Year for three of the previous four seasons.
Featured Image Credit: AlamyTopics: Rio Ferdinand, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Liverpool