"It's every game now" - Steve Nicol critical of Trent Alexander-Arnold

Pundit Steve Nicol has taken aim at Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Over the years, the Scouser has proven that he is terrific going forward.

Alexander-Arnold has scored 13 goals and registered 62 assists in 230 appearances for Liverpool's first-team.

However, the 23-year-old is yet to prove that he is a solid defender, which Nicol has recently pointed out.

As quoted by AW's Twitter account, he told ESPN the following: "We're not telling (Jurgen) Klopp anything he doesn't know, but Klopp is basically saying to himself ‘you know what we get so much from this kid going forward that we're gonna have to take on the chin what he doesn't have defensively'.

"And that was OK when the other three (defenders) were at their best. They made up for him. But it's every game now, there's problems down that side and they're finding it hard to cover for him now. Nobody has been able to cover for him. He can't do it.

"I mean you saw his attempt to try and deal with a one-two (against Manchester United last night), there wasn't any commitment in it whatsoever. He jogged back into the middle of the park. Now had he sprinted into the penalty box, he might have actually got a challenge on (Jadon) Sancho but he didn't, he walked.

"Defending is not his forte. We know it, Klopp knows it but Klopp is prepared to take the negative because of what he gets going forward. The things I'm talking about, defensively in particular. Can you imagine (Erling) Haaland running in behind that backline? Holy smokes."

Anfield Watch Verdict

The reality is, Alexander-Arnold is a bit of a liability in defence at times. But, there is a reason as to why that is the case.

Alexander was not a defender when he was a junior footballer. The Scouser played in midfield.

So, it shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone that Alexander-Arnold is not great defensively.

However, that does not mean the right-back can't improve that particular area of this game.

Alexander-Arnold is only 23 year of age. He has plenty of time left in his career to become a complete full-back.