Liverpool star Trent Alexander-Arnold’s qualities have been remarkably compared to Lionel Messi.
While the Argentina superstar won the World Cup last summer and is a Ballon d’Or favorite, Alexander-Arnold went trophyless.
However, the England midfielder enjoyed a renaissance near the end of the campaign on a personal level, and has carried that form into international duty.
Speaking on talkSPORT, former Chelsea striker Tony Cascarino said: “You look at Trent and you know he can deliver. Because you do it against Malta everyone thinks ‘will he get the chance against Germany, Argentina or Brazil in a quarter final World Cup game? Would you still play him there?’
“What I go back to is that they (other countries) would play him,” Cascarino added.
“We all know that they would. Lionel Messi spent most of the World Cup walking around and yet went and won it. Am I comparing Trent to Messi? No. But he has qualities that aren’t far off him.
“Can he improve in that position too? We’re all looking at Trent thinking ‘that’s what we know he can do’ but can he improve on that?”