With Liverpool having wrapped up the Premier League title, Joe Cole says the time has come for Jurgen Klopp to experiment with Trent Alexander-Arnold in a midfield role.
The 21-year-old Anfield academy graduate has helped his boyhood club to a first top-flight crown in 30 years.
Success arguably means more to Alexander-Arnold than many of those around him, with the home-grown star enjoying a meteoric rise to prominence.
He has already accrued 127 appearances for Liverpool since making his debut in October 2016, while also picking up nine senior caps for England.
Said recognition has been earned while filling a right-back berth, with the highly-rated youngster considered to embody what modern-day defenders are all about.
His energy and creativity allows him to influence proceedings at both ends of the field, with 33 assists recorded across the last three seasons.
Many have already suggested that his future lies further up the field, allowing him to have an even greater impact on proceedings, and Cole feels the perfect opportunity has presented itself for that tweak to be made.
The former Liverpool and England playmaker told BT Sport: ‘Trent has won everything in the game he can win. He is 21 and I bet he doesn’t even think about that.
‘He goes onto the pitch and is free. If I was Jurgen Klopp now I would use this opportunity to have a look at him in the midfield.
‘He is one of the best passers in the country anywhere. I would maybe even try him in the midfield for England.
‘That range of passing, the set-pieces, he is just a fantastic talent and he is going to be having the time of his life.’
Cole’s comments echo those of Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher, who has previously claimed that Alexander-Arnold could become a Kevin De Bruyne-esque figure for the Reds.
He told Viasport in October 2019: ‘People talk about the future and could he come into midfield and be a Kevin De Bruyne type player and he has more quality now than Liverpool’s midfield players and you think about the crosses that De Bruyne puts in from the right midfield position and maybe that’s a position where Trent could play.’
