Joe Cole has named Trent Alexander-Arnold as a superior crosser and passer over former England teammate and Manchester United icon David Beckham. The Liverpool has seen himself being compared to Manchester United hero David Beckham after taking another leap in his play this season.
The England full-back was once again a big influence as the Reds put one foot in the Champions League semi-final with a 3-1 win over Benfica this week. The 23-year-old found attacker Luis Diaz with a defence splitting ball which travelled 40 yards, with Diaz nodding down for Sadio Mane to tap home.
Alexander-Arnold leads the league in assists this season with 11, whilst creating by far the most chances with 66. And after his performance both Cole and Rio Ferdinand sung his praises, with the former making a bold statement.
Read more: 'Darren Fletcher asked me who the f**k I was' - United fan breaks silence on row
Speaking on BT Sport, Cole said: "Look, it doesn’t need words. It’s Beckham-like but I think he’s actually a better passer than Beckham, a better crosser than Beckham. That’s saying something because Becks was the best of my generation. The problem England have got is we’ve also got Reece James.
"You cannot leave either of them out, they’ve both got outstanding attributes. Tactically, can Gareth Southgate find a way of getting them both in the team?"
Ferdinand added: "Trent is as good a passer as anyone on the planet right now, I don’t care. When I saw one of his passes yesterday, I was screaming. And it’s not usually passes that do that to me. It’s out or order the way he passes the ball. It’s not only the execution, it’s the vision."
Aged just 23, Alexander-Arnold has 44 Premier League assists to his name.
Liverpool will be relieved to have their star full-back back for this weekend's crucial league tie with Manchester City after he missed several recent games through injury.
