Cesc Fabregas and Rio Ferdinand in agreement over Trent Alexander-Arnold's performance in England's win over Serbia
Arsenal icon Cesc Fabregas and Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand were both in agreement over Trent Alexander-Arnold's performance during England's 1-0 victory over Serbia in the Euros yesterday (June 16).
The duo, who were on punditry duty for BBC Sports during the game, felt that the Liverpool star had a good outing against Serbia and showered him with praise for his performance.
Alexander-Arnold got the nod to feature beside Declan Rice in midfield as Gareth Southgate unveiled the starting line-up for England's opening game of the tournament. The Liverpool star barely put a foot wrong as he caught the eye of spectators with his incredible vision and inch-perfect passing.
Reacting to this effort, Cesc Fabregas said:
"He [TAA] had a moment where he was superb and maybe a few things came a little too easy with the ball [like when a heavy touch allowed a Serbia chance] but overall he reacted well and showed good personality. The more he plays in there, the better he will become. I'm not worried about that."
Rio Ferdinand also waxed lyrical while discussing the Liverpool star's performance at the VELTINS Arena yesterday.
"It's the quality," he said. "When you have got him on the ball, you get caught a couple of times and that's part and parcel. Especially in midfield, you get a lot more touches and people are coming at you from different angles.
"But then you see stuff like this [crossfield pass]. There aren't many who can change it from being a defensive position to the final third in one pass, and he has that quality. The only concern you have is when you play against the better teams and he's being asked questions defensively. But I like to focus on what he's good at. It's getting into these areas and picking out a white shirt," he added.
Alexander-Arnold played just 69 minutes of the encounter but managed to wow the audience. He was replaced by Conor Gallagher as England boss Gareth Southgate rang the changes in the second half.
Meanwhile, Jude Bellingham scored the only goal of the game in 13th minute, with Bukayo Saka providing the assist.
What's next for Trent Alexander-Arnold and England?
After earning a perfect start to their Euro 2024 campaign with a solid 1-0 victory over Serbia, England will now look to march forward when they go head-to-head with Denmark in their next game this Thursday (June 20).
Following that, the Three Lions will square off with Slovenia in their final group phase fixture at the RheinEnergieStadion on June 25. Depending on how it goes, they might have already secured qualification by then.
It goes without saying that the Three Lions are in a good position to progress to the next round. They currently sit atop Group C with three points, two above Denmark and Slovenia who shared the spoils in their face-off - while Serbia sit at the bottom courtesy of their defeat.