French football icon Frank Leboeuf has taken a brutal shot at Trent Alexander-Arnold, claiming the Liverpool star is a 'Championship level' defender at best. Alexander-Arnold has been a revelation since breaking through Liverpool's academy and is seen as a huge part of the club's success under Jurgen Klopp.
He's blossomed into one of the most forward-thinking full-backs in world football with his superior range of passing and assists. But this season has highlighted some of his frailties in defence with a number of errors and sometimes lackadaisical movement at the back.
He's not been the only Liverpool player to suffer a dip in form to start the season, but Alexander-Arnold has been far below his usual standards. The 23-year-old also appears out of favour with England boss Gareth Southgate with Reece James preferred to start against Italy as right wing-back.
And Leboeuf has now taken a dig at the England international, indicating that Klopp's system at Liverpool is what has made Alexander-Arnold the player he is today. "Look at Trent Alexander-Arnold. I love the guy, his offensive qualities. But defensively, he's Championship level," Leboeuf told French newspaper Journal du Dimanche.
"Only [Jurgen] Klopp's system works for him. When it doesn't work as well as it has this season, all you see is his defensive shortcomings."
Leboeuf isn't alone in his criticism of Alexander-Arnold with Danny Murphy recently claiming the right-back has been given "free rein for a long time" at Anfield. And the France World Cup winner has offered his services to help Alexander-Arnold improve defensively.
"I want to take him with me to work on the basics," Leboeuf added. "I would say to him: 'Turn your head and look behind you, it will be better already'."