Former Manchester United star Denis Irwin has likened Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold with David Beckham amid the full-back's Real Madrid links.

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• Alexander-Arnold likened with Beckham
• Irwin claims switch to midfield is 'hard'
• Alexander-Arnold likely to join Real Madrid

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Liverpool full-back Alexander-Arnold has been the focus of transfer rumours this season, with Real Madrid being the front-runners to sign the 26-year-old. Alexander-Arnold, according to former Manchester United star Irwin, possesses all the qualities needed of a modern-day full-back, including the capacity to charge into the attack and provide goals and assists. The England international is particularly good at delivering the ball to team-mates, a skill that Irwin compares to former Manchester United and England star Beckham.

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  WHAT IRWIN SAID

  Denis Irwin was speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, brought to you by Sky Bet: "Trent Alexander-Arnold is like David Beckham when it comes to his delivery. When you look at the full picture as well, his deliveries are as good as anyone I’ve seen in the game. He’s questionable defensively, but that’s the modern-day full-back. When Manchester United played them last month, they focused on that area.

  “He should learn as he grows up and he’ll get better at defending. In terms of attacking, he loves to go forward. If you’re a player for one of the top teams, you’ve got to be very comfortable on the ball.

  “Trent Alexander-Arnold is amazing going forward. Kyle Walker is also a fantastic athlete full-back in the Manchester City era. Andy Robertson is also clever and has been at Liverpool for a long time. The lad at Fulham gets spoken about a lot too, Antonee Robinson, he’s very athletic."

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The prospect of Alexander-Arnold moving into midfield or the right side of attack has often been discussed due to questions over his defensive abilities. However, Irwin believes that playing in midfield is very difficult compared to playing as a full-back and claimed that Bayern Munich legend Philipp Lahm was one of the only players to succeed after the switch.

  Irwin added: “It’s hard for a full-back to go into midfield because the game is quicker. You look at Philipp Lahm, who was one of the first ones to do it and was brilliant at it. It’s so hard though – it’s a different ball game altogether.”

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• WHAT NEXT FOR ALEXANDER-ARNOLD?

  The Liverpool star is highly likely to leave the Reds this summer when his contract at Anfield expires and potentially link up with England teammate Jude Bellingham at the Santiago Bernabeu. Despite talk of a January move, the 26-year-old has reportedly decided he wants to end the season under Arne Slot and bid farewell to fans properly.

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Category: News