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Liverpool and England star Trent Alexander-Arnold has admitted that he found his experimental role as a midfielder on Sunday “difficult”.

The 22-year-old has made his name as a right-back for his club. However, he has also earned fame for his attacking contributions from that area. Since making his Liverpool debut, he has chipped in with 10 goals and – more crucially – 45 assists. Naturally, his attacking abilities have seen him drift forward more.

As such, calls have grown over the last two seasons for him to move into a midfield role.

Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher claimed that Reds boss Jurgen Klopp “would be mad” to change his position.

As an experiment on Sunday, England manager Gareth Southgate did exactly that against Andorra. Alexander-Arnold played the first 45 minutes of the Three Lions’ 4-0 win in midfield.

While he managed a shot on target and completed just over 80 percent of his passes, he told talkSPORT that the change in system – which saw him move back to right-back – benefitted him.

“It’s a new role for me, a bit different, I think there’s been a lot of questions being asked whether I can or cannot play in there and a lot of opinions being voiced over the last few weeks,” Alexander-Arnold said.

“It was an experiment the manager wanted to try out, but it was difficult to get on the ball for me.

“I found it a lot more difficult to get on the ball in those spaces. But whether I’m starting in there or starting right back I think naturally I just find myself drifting into midfield, getting the ball and affecting the game.

“The second half we changed the system a little bit and I was able to find a lot more space and get time on the ball and get in positions that were fairly similar to playing in midfield anyway.”

Alexander-Arnold played the first half alongside Jordan Henderson and Jude Bellingham in midfield.

Jesse Lingard got the only goal of the first half, adding a second after the break. Meanwhile, Harry Kane and Bukayo Saka completed a second 4-0 win for England in three days.

The Three Lions sit five points clear at the top of their World Cup qualifying group.

Alexander-Arnold lauds Sterling improvement

Elsewhere, Alexander-Arnold has hailed Raheem Sterling for his improvement since leaving Liverpool in 2015.

Like the right-back, Sterling rose through the Reds’ academy but earned a lucrative move to Manchester City.

While he did not enjoy his best club form last season, he has become a pivotal player for England.

Alexander-Arnold labelled his rise since moving across the North West as “spectacular”.

Five former Manchester United players still available as free agents

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