What a start to the season for Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold.
England made it two wins from two in the UEFA Nations League when they saw off Finland on Tuesday evening, with the headline being Harry Kane earning his 100th cap and scoring a brace to celebrate at Wembley.
Despite that, it was Liverpool’s Alexander-Arnold who was awarded Man of the Match, just as he was during England’s win over the Republic of Ireland at the weekend.
Liverpool fans are probably glad that Gareth Southgate is no longer the England manager because, not only did he hardly play him, but when he did, it wasn’t at right-back.
But interim boss Lee Carsley, who won the European Championships with the U21s by playing attacking football, has thrown him straight in and is already getting the best out of him.
It’s fair to say that the Liverpool creator has done more in two matches under Carsley than he did throughout Southgate’s near-decade tenure.
On paper, a partnership of Alexander-Arnold and Kane should get the mouth watering, but fans just haven’t seen them combine and explode in the final third on the international stage.
Against Finland, you started to see glimpses of it, including the 25-year-old assisting his international captain for his opening goal.
After the game, Kane made his feelings pretty clear about his teammate and how he is backing up his performances, as well as his ability on the ball, as he told ITV Sport.
Harry Kane praises Trent Alexander-Arnold
“A great performance,” said Kane. “He backed up another top performance he played against Ireland as well.
“We know what Trent can do when he hits it into those pockets and looks forward and has runners in behind and you saw that today.
“Throughout the whole game, even though it was 0-0 for a while, we were still threatening and looked like the team who were going to break the deadlock.”
Trent Alexander-Arnold at the 2026 World Cup
Kieran Trippier has retired from England duty, Kyle Walker wasn’t selected and Reece James can’t stop getting injured.
So, that right-back spot is for Alexander-Arnold to lose, and whatever happens, it looks like an attacking coach will be in the Wembley dugout and for the 2026 World Cup.
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Whether Eddie Howe is England’s next manager or they give it to Carsley, that forward-thinking and modern-day coach will suit Alexander-Arnold down to the bone and they will get the best out of him.
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