Liverpool fans were shocked to hear that right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold is set to make his 100th appearance for the club when they face Aston Villa on Saturday, an impressive stat for someone so young.
The 21-year-old made his debut for Liverpool in a 2-1 win over Spurs in 2015 and another 98 appearances for the academy graduate have quickly followed. The youngster has established himself as number-one right-back at the club and has gone on to earn seven England caps, having made his international debut against Costa Rica in June 2018.
The young right-back has made another impressive start to the season, averaging a 7.33 in the Premier League so far for the league leaders. Alexander-Arnold is a boyhood Liverpool fan and spoke in the week (as per BBC Radio 5 live, via HITC) about his desire to captain the club one day, as he prepares for his milestone 100th appearance.
Some of the best reactions from Liverpool fans to Alexander-Arnold’s impressive landmark can be seen in the tweets below.
100th appearance yet so young. Future captain for sure.
— VJ (@StillMagic10) November 1, 2019
Such a talented and hardworking player. He is young and can only get better
— Am Isaya Bornventure (@Bornventures) November 1, 2019
One fan even stated that Alexander-Arnold is the best thing to happen to the club since Steven Gerrard. The Rangers boss featured 710 times for Liverpool during his playing days, producing 186 goals and 155 assists, in which he wore the captain’s armband for a period of time and helped secure 11 trophies.
Best thing to happen to LFC since Gerrard
— sly sylvester (@slykonvict) November 1, 2019
“humble and grounded” . He’s our next capitan. Loves the City. Gets the tradition. Can play midfield as #8. Let’s gear to offload Naby and replace Milner with TAA, and let’s shop for right back or put Gomez there next year.
— Sem ?? (@Semakassa) November 1, 2019
A brilliant read that, James. He’s a great lad. Every now and again I imagine how it must feel to have been him in Madrid. His words are exactly how I imagined it to be. He is me, living mine and every Liverpool fans dream. Which makes watching him do so all the better
— Mike Kearney (@MikeKearney1) November 1, 2019
Liverpool fans are clearly happy and shocked that Alexander-Arnold has gone on to become such a mainstay in Jurgen Klopp’s side, despite his age and many feel that the 21-year-old deserves to captain the side in the future.
What do we think?
Alexander-Arnold is a superb right-back and has done brilliantly to reach 100 Liverpool appearances in such a short time. He has the talent to play at the highest level for a long time and his passing ability stats suggest (3.7 key passes per game in the top-flight this season) that a move to a more central position is a viable option for Klopp in the future. The right-back is very likely to make that precious 100th appearance in Liverpool’s trip to Villa Park this weekend, as they aim to extend their unbeaten run.