Frank Leboeuf has torn into Trent Alexander-Arnold's defensive abilities, with the former Chelsea ace claiming that the Liverpool full-back is "Championship level" defensively.
Alexander-Arnold has evolved into a pivotal member of Jurgen Klopp's squad since breaking through at Anfield and is given a license to roam by the German chief. That freedom, coupled with his quality from dead-ball situations, has seen the 23-year-old blossom into one of the Reds' chief creators.
But that hasn't made the Liverpool academy graduate immune from criticism - and plenty of it has been thrown at Alexander-Arnold in recent weeks in the wake of the Reds' lacklustre start to the season.
Although Alexander-Arnold is adept at going forward, his defensive awareness has left a lot to be desired at times and has been repeatedly questioned by both fans and pundits alike.
And now, Lebouf, who clocked up over 100 Premier League appearances for the Blues, has given his verdict on Alexander-Arnold's defensive abilities - and he is adamant that the system Klopp deploys at Liverpool has only masked Alexander-Arnold's shortcomings.
"Look at Trent Alexander-Arnold. I love the guy, his offensive qualities. But defensively, he's Championship level," Leboeuf told Journal du Dimanche. "Only [Jurgen] Klopp's system works for him. When it doesn't work as well as it has this season, all you see is his defensive shortcomings."
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He continued: "I want to take him with me to work on the basics. I would say to him: 'Turn your head and look behind you, it will be better already'."
Alexander-Arnold's shaky start to the season has coincided with Liverpool dropping points in four of their six league outings this term - a record that has already left them with plenty of work to do when it comes to pursuing the Premier League title.
The right-back's questionable defensive record has also seen him leapfrogged in the England pecking order by Reece James, who has thrived for Chelsea over the past 12 months. Kyle Walker is also ahead of Alexander-Arnold, who was an unused substitute during England's 1-0 defeat against Italy on Friday.
Despite concerns over Alexander-Arnold's ability to defend, Gareth Southgate's reluctance to use the Liverpool star has left some figures baffled, with Gary Lineker becoming the latest high-profile name to speak out after England blanked again on Friday night.
It has now been over 450 minutes since the Three Lions scored from open play, and Lineker bemoaned the fact that James Maddison, one of the Premier League's most creative midfielders, and Alexander-Arnold, who clocked up 21 goal contributions last year, were excluded by Southgate.
Lineker tweeted: "A gentle reminder that England’s most creative midfielder, @Madders10 was not in the squad of 28. And England’s most creative footballer, @TrentAA sat on the bench getting splinters in his a***…"
