“I'm just a normal lad from Liverpool whose dream has just come true.”
Those unassuming words were spoken by Trent Alexander-Arnold in the immediate aftermath of Liverpool’s 2019 Champions League triumph and were fittingly immortalised on a mural dedicated to the homegrown star in the streets close to Anfield.
Rumours earlier this season suggested that a similar picture had recently replaced an image of the departed, former captain, Jordan Henderson lifting the Premier League trophy inside the club’s AXA Training Complex.
Whether you believe it or not, such a shift resonates with pictorial symbolism, illustrating the move away from Jurgen Klopp’s great Liverpool side that ended a 30-year wait for a top-flight title towards the German’s vision for a “Liverpool Reloaded.”
Alexander-Arnold’s evolution and ever-increasing influence on and off the pitch looks set to be a key feature of Klopp’s Liverpool 2.0 with his new role as club vice-captain following on from his switch to a fluid right-back/midfield hybrid position.
For many of the staff at the club’s academy, Alexander-Arnold’s sensational rise towards legendary status did not come as a surprise and the expectation is that there is still much more to
