Murphy claims he’d pick Liverpool ace over £50m rival who has a rare quality

Follow us on Google Discover

Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold may well be battling with Aaron Wan-Bissaka for England’s number one right-back spot in the summer.

Danny Murphy has claimed that he would pick Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold to start ahead of Aaron Wan-Bissaka for England, as he praised the duo for their qualities. 

Speaking to White and Sawyer on TalkSport (09/03/20 at 10:15 am), Former Liverpool midfielder, Murphy, claimed that Wan-Bissaka has a rare quality where not many are better than him on one-on-one defending, but he believes Alexander-Arnold’s ability in possession pips him ahead of his rival. 

Alexander-Arnold has been a regular pick for Gareth Southgate in recent seasons, but the Liverpool man has seen his starting spot taken by Atletico Madrid’s, Keiran Trippier, at this moment in time.

But given how Alexander-Arnold and Wan-Bissaka has performed this season, it wouldn’t be a surprise if both are picked in England’s next squad, as Murphy stated that he would take them both to the Euros. 

“I have seen a lot of him [Wan-Bissaka] and it doesn’t surprise me,” Murphy told TalkSport. “Wan-Bissaka, all he has to improve on is his end product. When he gets into those wonderful positions, he gets a bit frantic. He can work on that. But one-on-one defending, there are not many better. 

“Nobody can outrun him. He’s strong. He’s comfortable. He doesn’t mind defending one-on-one. A throwback really. If you can mix him and Trent then all of a sudden, you have the best right-back in the world. We are fortunate because you have got the lad at Chelsea, Reece James, who looks a hell of a player.

“I’d take them both [Alexander-Arnold and Wan-Bissaka to the Euros] and I’d start Trent. The reason being, the majority of games England play, they dominate possession and they are going to have the ball. Trent’s passing and his crossing is phenomenal.” 

Wan-Bissaka made a £50 million switch from Crystal Palace to Old Trafford in the summer [BBC Sport], and he is only adding to the ridiculous amount of top quality right-backs England have at their disposal. 

From the experienced duo of Kyle Walker and Trippier to the upcoming youngsters, Wan-Bissaka, Alexander-Arnold and Reece James, to name a few. 

Whilst Southgate doesn’t have a plethora of defensive-minded players to choose from, but when it comes to the right-back spot, he will have to leave out some seriously quality players.