Jamie Carragher hails combination between Liverpool man Trent Alexander-Arnold and England star
Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher lauded the combination between England's Trent Alexander-Arnold and Bukayo Saka on international duty. Saka scored a hat-trick as the Three Lions sealed a 7-0 win over North Macedonia at Old Trafford in their latest Euro 2024 qualifier.
Apart from Saka's hat-trick, Harry Kane bagged a brace. Manchester United's Marcus Rashford and Manchester City's Kalvin Phillips were on the scoresheet as well.
Liverpool's Alexander-Arnold, meanwhile, has now been operating as a midfielder for England. Carragher was thoroughly impressed with the way he linked up with hat-trick hero Saka, writing on Twitter:
"Trent to Saka is becoming quite a combination."
Trent to Saka is becoming quite a combination 🔥🔥 #England
Alexander-Arnold has often caught strays from fans and experts for his defensive vulnerabilities. The Reds' star, though, has been thoroughly impressive as a midfielder in recent matches.
Saka, on the other hand, keeps getting better with every game. The 21-year-old had a remarkable campaign with Arsenal, scoring 15 goals and providing 11 assists in 48 matches. His contributions helped the Gunners get a second-place finish in the Premier League, and Saka is now making his mark for the Three Lions as well.
Can Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold play as a midfielder for England long-term?
Trent Alexander-Arnold was very impressive during England's 4-0 win against Malta as well. He started that game in the midfield and scored a goal from outside the box.
Ahead of the clash against North Macedonia, Gareth Southgate was quizzed about whether the Liverpool star can take up a long-term role in the midfield. He said (via 90min):
"I won't hesitate to play him there again. Of course, we should always be mindful of the level of the opponent but the quality of the play is the quality of the play and lesser-quality players couldn’t have produced that even against a lower opponent."
"He did everything we hoped he would do and maybe a little bit more in the pressing and the intensity and the adaptation. We were very happy with him."
Jude Bellingham's return could complicate things for Alexander-Arnold as he is expected to be the preferred partner to Declan Rice and Jordan Henderson in the middle of the park. However, Alexander-Arnold could be a very useful option as a midfielder for both Liverpool and England.