‘Mesmerised’: Gary Neville admits 25-y/o Liverpool player absolutely ‘stunned’ him | OneFootball

Gary Neville admitted he was somewhat surprised by the depth of Trent Alexander-Arnold’s football knowledge in interviews conducted last term.

The MNF pundit was speaking on the latest episode of The Overlap ahead of the return of club football.

“I interviewed him for two or three hours last season. Roy, honestly, I was stunned,” the former Manchester United fullback said.

The Englishman went on to add: “I was mesmerised by him. I was mesmerised by the fact that – you look at someone and think he’s a brilliant player, I’ve been critical of him defensively, you’ve [Roy Keane] been critical of him, you [Jamie Carragher] said he shouldn’t play midfield, you [Paul Scholes] said he shouldn’t play midfield – I could not believe how much he knew about football historically in the last 20-25 years and how many games he’s watched and how into it he was.

“Maybe I shouldn’t be surprised but I couldn’t believe it. He was asking loads of questions – he was dead inquisitive. That’s what I think I… he didn’t want to stop talking about football, about right-back and stuff.”

The No.66 has been in stellar form for club and country in 2024/25, picking up the last two player of the match awards for England during the international break.

Follow Empire of the Kop on Instagram (@empireofthekop) HERE

The fullback was responsible for several sensational passes during the Three Lions’ 2-0 win over Finland, including an assist for Harry Kane’s opener.

READ MORE: ‘Not sure he likes him’: Paul Scholes suggests Arne Slot’s already fallen out with £180k-p/w Liverpool player

READ MORE: If Van Dijk leaves in 2025 Liverpool could sign free 6’5 replacement that summer – report

Liverpool must make extending Trent’s contract a priority

Trent Alexander-Arnold on international duty vs Finland – (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)

We can have our debates about the long-term futures of Mo Salah (32) and Virgil van Dijk (33). Fine.

But if there’s one player Richard Hughes and Co. shouldn’t be messing about in the process – it’s Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Our Academy graduate is one the best footballers on the planet when it comes to his use of ball. So much so, in fact, that we wholeheartedly agree with Jamie Carragher’s sentiment that it overrules his supposed defensive deficiencies.

EOTK Close-up with John Welsh: ‘a local lad who lived his dream’ and Slot’s LFC predictions