Arne Slot gives perfect response to bizarre Paul Scholes take as Trent Alexander-Arnold message sent
It was all smiles for Trent Alexander-Arnold as he returned to the AXA Training Centre with a spring in his step on Thursday. The Liverpool defender was back on club duty as he reported to the Reds' £50m Kirkby base after starring for England in successive victories over the Republic of Ireland and Finland.
And if Alexander-Arnold was unsure if his performances had caught the eye back at base, that was instantly dispelled when he was given a hearty greeting by Arne Slot as they reconvened on Thursday morning.
"Ah, man of the match two times!" Slot said to his vice-captain, before adding a "well done." Clearly the Reds boss was watching and it was understandable for why Alexander-Arnold was visibly beaming after his exploits for the Three Lions in recent days.
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His European Championship was ultimately a largely unhappy one having been thrust into the action as a central midfielder with little senior experience of the position in competitive action before being made to be something of a scapegoat by Gareth Southgate for England's laborious march into the knockout stages.
Culled from the team for the latter stages, Alexander-Arnold was left kicking his heels on the sidelines as Spain beat Southgate's side 2-1 in July's final.
Fast forward just a few short months and Alexander-Arnold is seemingly thriving under the guidance of interim boss Lee Carsley, with a number of simply sumptuous passes catching the eyes of those who may not normally be as tuned in to his gifted range.
A defence-splitting through ball for Anthony Gordon deserved a better finish against Ireland goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher, while another razor-sharp knock to Noni Madueke was dispatched with aplomb by Harry Kane against the Finnish at Wembley earlier this week.
Now back in the right-back role he has revolutionised during his time in the Liverpool first team, Alexander-Arnold is flourishing for the national side and while there will undoubtedly be tougher tests to come, it's now five games played without a goal conceded for the Reds' No.66 this term.
The No.8 has been cast from his back at England with the No.2 shirt now a symbol of the tactical alteration under Carsley and the form hasn't gone unnoticed, particularly by those who have previously been scathing of the West Derby-born defender's apparent shortcomings.
"If Pep [Guardiola] was the manager of England he would play him every week," claimed Paul Scholes on this week's Stick to Football podcast. "But someone like Gareth, who is not as attacking, will be thinking, 'He might give the ball [away].'"
Gary Neville added: “I interviewed him for two or three hours last season. Roy, honestly, I was stunned. Honestly no I was mesmerised by, I was mesmerised by the fact that, you know, you have sort of, you look at someone, you think he’s a brilliant player, but then you look at him, I’ve been critical of him defensively, you’ve been critical of him.
“You’ve said he shouldn’t play in midfield. I could not believe how much he knew about football historically in the last 20, 25 years, and how many games he watched and how much into it he was. And then maybe I shouldn’t be surprised but I couldn’t believe it. He was asking loads of questions, he was dead inquisitive.”
Scholes, however, also bizarrely claimed: "Every time when he was trying his long balls (against Manchester United), which he can do brilliantly, he (Slot) kept shaking his head and turning around and I thought: 'F***ing hell, I'm not sure he likes him.'"
“You’re trying to get rid of him, aren’t you?” Jamie Carragher eventually shot back, no doubt echoing the thoughts of all Liverpool supporters listening to the latest Mancunian dissection of Alexander-Arnold's game.
Slot, as evidenced by his hearty welcome, very much does like his right-back, contrary to Scholes's assertion, and the early evidence may only be a small sample size but it is a happy camp all round at Liverpool just now. Alexander-Arnold's smile said it all.