By his own admission, Lazio midfielder Lucas Leiva explained why he and his team-mates were never in doubt that young sensation Trent Alexander-Arnold would become one of the best players in the world.
Alexander-Arnold’s exceptional displays for Liverpool at right-back have seen him being talked about in the category of young players that are among the best in the world. The 21-year-old superstar has already registered an astonishing 30 assists for Liverpool since the beginning of last season across all competitions, while his side also boasts the best defensive record in the Premier League this term. Alexander-Arnold has been hailed as one of the most creative players under Jurgen Klopp and remains and clearly shows signs of maturity beyond belief. The young right-back was influential for Liverpool last season when they were crowned champions of Europe for the 6th time and it seems that the young full-back is growing in stature with each passing season. Alexander-Arnold has played a tremendous role with his assists this term to guide Liverpool on the brink of their first English title in 30 years.
12 – Trent Alexander-Arnold provided 12 assists in the Premier League in 2018-19; the most by a defender in a single season in the competition’s history. Delivery. #OptaPLSeasons pic.twitter.com/NPCMUmdwhP
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) April 28, 2020
ALSO READ – 5 ALL-TIME RIGHT BACKS AT LIVERPOOL
Former Liverpool star Lucas Leiva spent a decade on Merseyside before moving to Serie A outfit Lazio in the summer of 2017 and recalled his time at seeing Alexander-Arnold as a relatively younger player at the club.
While speaking with LFCTV the 33-year-old hard-tackling Brazilian explained how Alexander-Arnold made a lasting impact on everyone at the club at such a tender age. Lucas admitted to a time when the English star was only 16 and showed some unbelievable quality on the ball despite being slightly shy, “Well, I remember a few moments of Trent, I remember he came with us to play in a friendly game and I think he was 16. He was very shy and Brendan [Rodgers] was in charge. I remember he wasn’t comfortable but we could see he was at a different level, I would say, for his age, his quality on the ball.
Lucas further added that he and his teammates at the time always expected Alexander-Arnold to attain success in the future, “So after he started to train with us in the first team he waited patiently, but we were sure that he would be a Liverpool player and he would be one of the best players in the world. I was sure because you just could see on a daily basis how many qualities he had, his crosses and his passing. He is just a complete full-back.”
