After watching Trent Alexander-Arnold's recent displays for England as a central midfielder, former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher is confident that it is the 24-year-old's best position.
Back in 2017, Alexander-Arnold broke into Jurgen Klopp's starting birth as a right-back, despite playing further forward during his days at the Reds' academy. In the years that have followed, he has reinvented the position, doing the creative work typically associated with that of a midfielder from a deeper position and reaping the rewards in the form of seven trophies along the way.
But during a largely forgettable 2022/23 campaign, the Scouser in Liverpool's team was afforded the freedom to roam into midfield as Klopp created a hybrid role for the young defender.
This prompted Gareth Southgate to utilise Alexander-Arnold as an out-and-out central midfielder - an experiment the England manager first trialled back in 2021 - and positive performances in UEFA European Championship qualifying have made up Carragher's mind on where the Liverpool Academy graduate is best suited to play.
READ MORE: Jurgen Klopp could blunt key Liverpool weapon by caving into Trent Alexander-Arnold demand
READ MORE: Trent Alexander-Arnold stuns bitter Liverpool rival after Steven Gerrard claim
Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, the pundit said: "I think he [Alexander-Arnold] has given them something in the last couple of games. Yes, the opposition is not the type of opposition that England will be playing next summer when they're trying to win the European Championshis.
'But for England, that's the best position for him because we know Gareth Southgate would not put him in at right-back because of the competition there.
"Right now, Jude Bellingham, Declan Rice, and Trent would be that midfield three, maybe a Mason Mount could come into the equation there when he gets back fit.
'For England now going forward, Gareth Southgate will be looking at the make-up of his midfield."
Carragher also questioned whether Alexander-Arnold's recent international performances will impact Klopp's thinking ahead of the 2023/24 season.
"I think it just opens up another discussion in terms of how it affects his Liverpool position," he said. "He's almost played a hybrid role of full-back and central midfield and he excels in central midfield, it's just whether he stays there."
Over the course of the latest two matches for his country, the Liverpool man contributed a thunderous goal against Malta and a perfectly-crafted assists for Arsenal's Bukayo Saka both in that match and North Macedonia.
As a result, the debate rages on whether it is time for the right-back to step further forward in a Reds shirt. Some are in favour due to his attacking credentials outweighing the defensive side of his game, while others remain insistent that the hybrid role is better suited given the success that came from the tactical switch during an 11-game Liverpool unbeaten run throughout April and May.
