Jurgen Klopp has challenged Trent Alexander-Arnold to continue his ascent up the Liverpool appearance list after marking his 300th in Wednesday’s 4-1 win over Chelsea.
And the Reds boss believes Alexander-Arnold is good enough at 25 to one day even treble that tally at Anfield, should he stay with the club his entire career.
Alexander-Arnold, who has a little under 18 months left on his current contract, was sidelined for close to a month after a knee injury in the 2-0 victory at Arsenal in early January, but made a substitute return in Sunday’s 5-1 win over Norwich in the FA Cup before reaching the 300 milestone on Wednesday night off the bench.
The West Derby-born defender is in line for a recall when Arsenal are visited once more on Sunday, although Klopp has something of a welcome dilemma at right-back due to the excellent form of 20-year-old Conor Bradley, whose performance against Chelsea saw him earn widespread recognition.
Klopp, though, believes Alexander-Arnold – who now sits 63rd in the all-time list at Liverpool, eight behind former captain Jamie Redknapp – can double the current number for his boyhood club as he laid down the gauntlet for a player he gave a senior debut to in 2016.
“He’s 25 [years of age] and played 300 games? Wow! Millie (James Milner) is probably sweating,” Klopp said. “Is Trent young enough to double that? I hope he finishes [higher] up, it will be high up the list at this club.
“Do I think he will? Definitely. Definitely. He has everything you need for that. You need to be lucky with injuries as well to get that number. Being around is one thing, being on the pitch is another.
“The next 10 years there could be 600 [more appearances], that makes it 900 games. Wow. That’s already massive. 900 games as well, is not bad. Nearly as much goals as Cristiano Ronaldo has scored!
“I’m very positive about it. I wish him all the luck to get through all these challenges over the years but he has it in himself. It’s good.”
