Patrick Bamford has heaped praise on one Liverpool player who ‘can do a bit of everything’ and has a ‘mental’ ball-striking prowess.
The Leeds striker was speaking on the My Mate’s A Footballer podcast when he fielded questions from listeners, one of whom asked him about players he’s faced who he’d pick to play in every position on the pitch alongside himself up front.
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Regarding one selection, the 30-year-old said: “It was between Bernardo [Silva] and Trent [Alexander-Arnold]. He [Trent] can do a bit of everything. I think centre-back would be a bit of a struggle but everywhere else…
“His technical ability and the way he strikes a ball, there’s no-one better. He can kick it so far as well; that’s mental.”
Trent has excelled over the past year since Jurgen Klopp switched him to a hybrid right-back/number 6 role, with many pundits believing that the 25-year-old will ultimately be converted into a full-time midfielder at Liverpool.
His match average of 2.5 key passes is the joint-fourth highest of any Premier League player this season, trumping the 2.1 of Manchester City’s Portuguese playmaker (WhoScored), and anyone who’s watched the Reds over the past few years knows full well how gifted the England international is with the ball at his feet.
Our number 66 has shown that he can finish with aplomb, too, rifling a deft equaliser past Ederson to rescue a draw at the Etihad Stadium in November and showing brilliant technique to control and finish for his late winner against Fulham the following weekend.
We’re in full agreement with Bamford that we’d take Trent over Silva any day of the week – the lad from West Derby is a simply sublime footballer!