Trent Alexander-Arnold: I Have a Responsibility to Younger Players

I mean, how could I pass on this photo? | Photo by Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images

Fathering them, you could say.

Trent Alexander-Arnold is practically an old man at the club these days. Record number of assists for a defender. Youngest player ever to start in two Champions League finals. Champions League winners medal. Oh, and 20-years-old. I mean, he’s not even a teenager anymore. Come on.

Regardless, it wasn’t that long ago when he was just a young player coming through the ranks himself. And now? He feels a responsibility to help out the new crop of young players.

“I think I understand that I have a responsibility for the young players; I try to make sure I am there for them and they know they can come and speak to me,” TAA said to the club’s official website.

“Hopefully they know I have been in their situation and I know what they’re going through – coming in and out of teams, being rotated, not getting the minutes you want, finding it a little bit too hard or intense, or struggling with fitness and whatnot.

“I have been through it all. I hope they understand that I have, that I am always here for them and that I am always available for them to come and talk.

When asked if he saw any similarities with the new crop of youths to himself, he was full of praise for another potential up and coming right back: 17-year-old Ki-jana Hoever.

“The biggest one is probably Ki [-Jana Hoever], a quiet lad who goes about his business. [A lad who] wants to be given an opportunity and take it when he can.

“Obviously the news came out this week that he’d signed a new long-term deal with the club, which is amazing for him and amazing for us as well to have such a promising young talent.

“I would probably say him if I was comparing any of them to me, but I think they understand they’ve just got to be themselves around the lads – whether you’re loud or whether you’re quiet, there are different personalities and you’ve just got to be prepared to adjust and adapt to the way the first team go about things.”

Alexander-Arnold, whether he’s a hands-on mentor or not, is a fantastic example to have around the club for Jurgen Klopp and the rest of the coaching staff. He shows that with the right attitude, ability, and good luck, players can create a path for themselves into the first team.

Hopefully his story will be the first of many under Klopp, but only time will tell. By then Trent might even be able to legally drink in the States.

Source: liverpooloffside.sbnation.com