Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold has lavished praise on his Chelsea counterpart Reece James, as reported by Standard Sport.
The Chelsea youngster has established himself in the Chelsea starting line-up this season. He also netted his first Premier League goal against Brighton in September.
Alexander-Arnold hails James
This has led to the 20-year-old receiving plenty of plaudits. Alexander-Arnold believes that James deserves the recognition he has gained, and admitted that his fellow right-back is an exciting prospect.
“He has shown since he came in over the last year or so that he is a good player, solid defensively and good going forward.
“He is an all-round right-back and probably up there with some of the best in the league,” he said.
James earns international honours
James’ performances have also seen him called up to the England squad recently. He made his international debut last month, and now has three caps to his name.
With England manager Gareth Southgate currently preferring a 3-4-3 formation, it looks set to be a straight shootout between Alexander-Arnold and James for the right wing-back spot at the Euros next year.
Alexander-Arnold certainly expects that to be the case.
“In the formation that we are playing currently the right wing-backs would probably be me and him, knowing that Kyle Walker can play right centre-back and Tripps sometimes plays left wing-back,” he added.
Alexander-Arnold claims there is no rivalry
As the two young full-backs battle at the top of the table for their respective clubs, there is the potential for a rivalry to build between the pair.
However, Alexander-Arnold does not see things that way. He is relishing the challenge to his status as the best full-back in the country. The Reds defender expects to improve thanks to the pressure applied by James.
“Competition for places is always exciting. It is always something that helps me, I think helps a lot of players get better,” he said.
England’s next game is not until March. This means that Alexander-Arnold and James still have ample time to push their claims for a starting berth ahead of next summer’s tournament.
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