Trent: PL2 is perfect preparation for first-team football

Alexander-Arnold has represented both Liverpool’s U23s and senior sides this season, having made his full debut for Jürgen Klopp’s team in their EFL Cup fourth-round victory over Tottenham Hotspur in October.

The 18-year-old came on as a late substitute in the Reds’ first team’s 2-0 win over Spurs in the Premier League last Saturday, before playing the full 90 minutes for Mike Garrity’s U23s in their 6-2 success against Huddersfield Town a day later.

And the England U19 international believes the high standard at U23 level makes the transition to senior football more comfortable for younger players.

Free video: Trent discusses the benefits of playing in PL2

“I think every team’s got a lot of talented players on the brink of the first team so that really helps, and also with players dropping down from first teams to play in Premier League 2,” Alexander-Arnold told Premier League Productions.

“It’s good to be challenged week in and week out, and I think that’s what you see with the quality of the games – they’re not far off the Premier League – and the quality of the players is really good. 

“You get tested in different ways against different teams and it almost replicates the Premier League, because you come up against different styles and different opposition, and different tactics and formations, so it helps you in that way.”