Football agent Rob Segal has urged Liverpool to drop Trent Alexander-Arnold as he believes the English right-back needs some rest.
The Merseyside outfit are currently going through an injury crisis with the likes of Ibrahima Konate and Jordan Henderson on the sidelines. According to Segal, Arnold could potentially join his injured teammates unless he receives ample rest.
In an interview with Caught Offside, Segal said:
“Liverpool have major injury problems which haven’t helped and a player like Trent Alexander-Arnold probably needs a prolonged rest.”
The agent also believes that the 23-year-old talent is arrogant in knowing that manager Jurgen Klopp will consistently select him in the starting XI.
Segal referenced Alexander-Arnold’s poor attempt at making a recovery run in Liverpool’s 4-1 defeat to Napoli in the UEFA Champions League last night (September 8).
The Englishman was easily beaten on the flank by Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who assisted Napoli’s third strike of the game.
Segal added:
“However, because of his standing within the club, you can feel his arrogance when he is slowly running back to goal. Alexander-Arnold knows that no matter what he does, right or wrong, he is likely to start week in, week out.”
Finally, Segal pointed out Arnold’s defensive woes. He concluded:
“It is no secret that Alexander-Arnold is a lot better going forward than he is defensively, so his weaknesses need to be covered and unfortunately for Klopp, at the moment, none of his side’s backline are playing particularly well. The timing of their drop-off in form has been really unfortunate.”
Liverpool have been poor this season, winning just two out of seven matches in all competitions so far. They are seventh in the Premier League and have kept just two clean sheets.
Rio Ferdinand criticises Liverpool’s performance against Napoli
Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand has condemned Trent Alexander-Arnold for his lethargic performance against Napoli.
Jurgen Klopp’s men started their 2022-23 Champions League campaign with a 4-1 defeat against Napoli. Piotr Zielinski (2), Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, and Giovanni Simeone added their names to the scoresheet for the hosts.
The Merseyside outfit had only one goal to show for in an underwhelming performance after Luis Diaz found the back of the net in the 49th minute.
In a critical assessment of the Reds’ performance, Ferdinand proclaimed (via The Mirror):
“It was an embarrassing first 45 minutes for Liverpool, particularly defensively. What you can’t accept as a manager or as a player is a lack of effort and desire. When people don’t run or don’t have the desire to get back.”
He added:
“Gomez makes the mistake but you’ve got to get back and help your team-mates and Trent didn’t do that. Liverpool got teased, they got embarrassed, they got shown up. This result has been coming too. They were lacklustre and lacked grit, determination and desire.”
The Reds will next face Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League.