When he first became a pundit everyone assumed that Gary Neville would be insufferably biased towards Man United, but he’s actually proven to be a very popular part of Sky Sport’s coverage.
If anything he tends to talk United down at times, but perhaps he’s let the mask slip with this one.
A report from The Sun centres around Liverpool star Trent Alexander-Arnold, as he’s starting to prove he could be the best right back in the world.
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They look at some quotes from Brazil World Cup winning legend Cafu, who was famed for his ability to maraud forward from full back and torment defences:
“He’s a sensational player, a rare talent. If he keeps playing the way he has been he will be regarded as one of the best players in the world. He has the potential to win [The Best FIFA Men’s Player] award.”
“He’s technically brilliant, he has so much quality. He has a Brazilian style of play. I love watching him play. And playing in such a great team will help him grow.”
That’s some serious praise and it does make sense, the Liverpool man is solid defensively but he’s actually exciting to watch, and that’s very rare for a full back.
They go on to point out that Neville was asked to compare Alexander-Arnold with Man United’s right back Aaron Wan-Bissaka, and he does make a claim that the United man is the better defender:
“At this moment in time, Aaron Wan-Bissaka is the better defender. But Trent going forward… I’ve not seen someone like it since Cafu.”
To be fair to Wan-Bissaka, he is utterly phenomenal in 1v1 defensive situations, but you have to concede that Alexander-Arnold is the better overall player – something that Neville also acknowledges:
“So Trent is ahead at this point but Wan-Bissaka has settled really well and will be important in these next few years.”
It should be an interesting rivalry going forward especially when it comes to England as well, but the Liverpool man has certainly achieved more at this point in his career.