Roy Keane has lauded Trent Alexander-Arnold following his stunning season for Liverpool - and has even claimed that the boyhood Reds fan has helped change people's perceptions on the full-back role.
Both Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson have been integral parts of the 'heavy-metal' football that Jurgen Klopp has deployed at Anfield since his arrival back in 2015.
It was Robertson who stole the show against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park by grabbing a pair of assists in the first half, but it's Alexander-Arnold who has hogged the headlines this so far this season.
The 23-year-old has taken his game to another level this term - and he even made Premier League history last weekend by becoming the first defender to ever reach double figures for assists in three separate seasons.
He was showered with praise by Keane ahead of the Reds crunch clash against Palace on Sunday afternoon, with the former Manchester United captain insisting that Alexander-Arnold has helped the full-back role become one of the most important in the modern game.
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"Absolutely brilliant," Keane told Sky Sports. "What a player. Fantastic. The stats are absolutely brilliant, brilliant player, local lad bet he can’t believe his luck. [The] chances he creates, the assists- unbelievable.
"[He] looks like a good athlete, a decent lad, a brilliant player and we all get excited about attacking players but to get excited about a full-back it’s how the game’s changed over the last few years. The full-backs are so important.
"The assists and positions he gets himself in, he’s brave got a lot of courage - what a brilliant player."
While Alexander-Arnold has been a key player for Liverpool ever since he burst onto the scene back in 2017, his goal contributions this season have been nothing short of remarkable.
Already this term, the Reds right-back has registered 10 assists in the Premier League and a staggering 15 in all competitions after he teed up both of Diogo Jota's goals in Liverpool's midweek Carabao Cup triumph over Arsenal.
15 assists is the same tally that he managed during his best-ever campaign as the Reds surged to the Premier League title back in the 2019/20 season - meaning he's nailed on to record his best-ever season in terms of goalscoring contributions.
And he had a host of people, including former Arsenal magician Paul Merson, singing his praises after Liverpool clinched their spot in the Carabao Cup final on Thursday night.
"He’s phenomenal," Merson told Sky Sports after the Reds sealed their slot at Wembley.
"People say, ‘he can’t defend’. Why do you have to defend when you go forward like he does?
"To put up the figures and the assists that he gets is just mind-blowing, absolutely mind-blowing.
"Some of the balls that he plays, the weight of pass - everything he picks out he composes himself, never panics. That ball was David Beckham.
"If you’d have just had a look at his feet there and nothing else, you’d of thought it was David Beckham.
"He’s not even our England right-back. We’re blessed."
