Alexander-Arnold says £36m Liverpool player can take his game to a new level
Trent Alexander-Arnold has tipped Ibrahima Konate to benefit the most from the England international’s new midfield role.
Speaking to Liverpool’s official website, the 24-year-old right-back suggested that the French international could thrive as cover on the right side of the defence with Alexander-Arnold now pushed up and tucked in as an inverted fullback.
The positional change has seen Liverpool win their last six and unlocked Alexander-Arnold’s qualities, though the likes of Konate have been criticised for their lack of defensive awareness in covering the space left behind by the fullback, yet the centre-back seems to be getting to grips.
The £36m defender has kept a clean sheet in his last two games, and Alexander-Arnold believes Konate can only improve from here, with the fullback saying: “I think it’s one of those things, we all appreciate each other, we all appreciate our qualities. I think the system suits profiles.
“Ibou is an athletic centre-back who can move, he can run, he is strong, fast, he can cover big spaces and defends outstandingly well in those big spaces, so I think maybe that gap I’m leaving when I am coming into the middle of the pitch is filled by a player who can handle that and do that.”
Alexander-Arnold’s new role can take Konate’s game to a new level
Alexander-Arnold’s new role in the midfield has changed the entire dynamic of the squad, with Andy Robertson having to stay back more often than the Scotsman is used to and Mohamed Salah now needing to track back, and for Konate, the defender can only benefit from the shift.
The 23-year-old is an outstanding defensive talent who can is only improving with every game for Liverpool, and Alexander-Arnold’s move to midfield will only serve as a learning curve for Konate in his mission to become one of the best in the Premier League.
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