Gary Neville has dismissed the notion that Liverpool full-back Trent Alexander-Arnold should play in midfield after his positional tweak during their 2-2 draw with Arsenal.
The Englishman took up a number of central positions during the clash against the Gunners in a new inverted full-back role under Jurgen Klopp.
Alexander-Arnold's defensive capabilities continue to be questioned in some quarters - and the former Manchester United defender believes a switch for the Reds academy graduate would be difficult despite his prowess going forward.
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"He was absolutely sensational [against Arsenal], Trent Alexander-Arnold going forward," said Neville speaking on his Sky Sports podcast. "I don’t know what to say about him any more really because his defensive play is that bad.
"Some of the positions he takes up, where he lets [Gabriel] Martinelli spin behind him on a straight pass, that really is schoolboy defending. That’s the most basic, when you can see the ball there, your man’s here, he runs in there and you just don’t run with him.
"But then some of the attacking play, some of the deliveries, the courage to continue to keep his confidence and get on the ball beyond those mistakes that he makes defensively has got to be admired. I admire him enormously. He keeps going and you can only keep going but please…
"If he was actually playing in midfield away from home in the Premier League and he was getting the ball popped into him, when he’s got his back to play, that’s a different ball game. Trent wouldn't be able to do that honestly.
"I think you need to play hundreds of games as a kid in midfield the awareness looking over your shoulder... this idea that we all say he can play midfield. I've heard it about full-backs before, 'if you can play wide, you can play a winger'. No they can't. That's why they're full-backs."
During his youth days in Kirkby, Alexander-Arnold was a midfielder throughout his time in the ranks captaining the U16s and U18s on his rise to the first-team.
He was previously deployed there for England under Gareth Southgate. Despite the criticism he has faced, he has cemented his place as a bonafide starter for Liverpool with his deadball, distribution and crossing ability a key component of attacking threat for Klopp's side.
But Neville's opinion disregards the German manager's comments following the draw with the Premier League leaders - that Alexander-Arnold's role on Sunday is a "big step", hinting that it wasn't the first and won't be the last time it will be utilised.
"Yeah, it’s not the first time," he told reporters. “We did that before but maybe it was not that obvious. We did that before, where we put Trent inside.
"Today in the build-up, Trent played more inside. Double six, that’s how it is. We need to get used to it, obviously. I would say it is a big step to do that in a game against Arsenal.
"It opened up different opportunities for us. If you watch it back you will see that it will have to be learned when to use it. Hendo was not wide, stayed inside. Then we could really pass first pass down to Mo. Mo kept the ball really well today and we could go from there.
"I thought he did well. It was not the first time, but not for a while we executed it."
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