Trent Alexander-Arnold's Man City transfer links, text from coach, new position plan drawn up

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Trent Alexander-Arnold is set to be reunited with former Liverpool coach Pep Lijnders when Real Madrid face Manchester City in the Champions League . The two sides are preparing for the first leg of their round of 16 tie at the Bernabeu.

The right-back departed Liverpool and sealed a move to Los Blancos last summer. While Alexander-Arnold was pivotal to the Reds’ success in recent years, injuries have limited his impact during his first year in Spain.

There was recent speculation that the England international could leave Madrid at the end of the season, though those claims have since been disputed. After overcoming his fitness issues, Alexander-Arnold has regained his place in the team under manager Alvaro Arbeloa and is vying to start against City.

Pep Guardiola’s assistant coach Lijnders arguably understands Alexander-Arnold’s game better than anyone. The Dutchman coached the full-back during his time in Liverpool’s academy before further influencing him as part of the first team staff for almost all of Jurgen Klopp's tenure at Anfield. Here, Mirror Football looks at the pair’s relationship ahead of the huge Champions League clash.

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Alexander-Arnold’s difficult start to his first year in Madrid led to rumours about his future during the January transfer window . Reports in Spain suggested that new boss Arbeloa had told the defender to consider leaving the club and City were tentatively linked with a move for the former Liverpool star.

The 27-year-old redefined how the right-back position was perceived during his time in England. His partnership with Mohamed Salah contributed to Liverpool winning the Premier League , Champions League and several other major honours during his time at the club.

While the reports regarding Alexander-Arnold’s future in Madrid were disputed, he would have improved City’s current right-back options. The move also would have enabled him to work with Lijnders again, who joined City’s coaching staff last summer.

Lijnders shared his admiration for Alexander-Arnold in his 2022 book Intensity – Inside Liverpool FC. The coach recalled his joy at learning the academy graduate had been named in the club’s new leadership group and revealed his messages to Klopp about the then-22-year-old.

“Jurgen forwarded me a text with the result of the votes for the players’ committee. There were three spots left behind our captain Hendo, vice-captain Milner and leader Virgil,” Lijnders wrote.

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“I was delighted to discover that Trent was in! Our future captain was a step closer – he should now stay close to Milner to learn as much as possible during this year because it’s the next step in his development. Robbo and Ali were the other two to make the players’ committee.

“Trent had asked to meet me in pre-season for a chat and we sat together for an hour discussing his game. One of the main things he wanted to discuss as well was making sure me and Jurgen knew he wanted to be in now and not be missed out because he was young or maybe a bit less vocal before games than others. I replied to the boss, ‘Trent is in, TOP, he represents so much of our club.’”

During his time at Liverpool, the club experimented with Alexander-Arnold stepping into midfield from full-back. The idea of the defender utilising the half-spaces was conjured up by Klopp and his staff during pre-season in 2021.

Alexander-Arnold had played in midfield under Lijnders for Liverpool U16s. While moving into the middle of the pitch didn’t always have the desired effect, the assistant coach believed the full-back could still add dimensions to his game .

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"There's no limit to him," Lijnders said in 2022 at an event marking the release of his book. "I think it's really important for his game that he is close to Milly and Hendo and this leadership group. If you saw in pre-season, the games he played he has reached a new level in my opinion.

"The way he has dominated the right side both offensively and defensively, he is just remarkable. If I see this boy, he just makes me really proud because he trains the same way as when he was 15.

‌"The smile, the fire and our relationship is very strong. You don't have many captains in your life as a coach, hopefully - because if you have many it means you are at many different clubs and that's not a good sign - but the captains you have are really special because of the bond between a manager and a captain."