'I was really happy to see what captaincy meant to Trent'
Jürgen Klopp was delighted by Trent Alexander-Arnold's reaction to being named Liverpool captain for the first time in his career.
The Scouser and Academy graduate added another milestone to his phenomenal list of honours when he skippered his boyhood team against FC Midtjylland in the Champions League on Wednesday night.
Reflecting on the decision, Klopp explained why it was based on policy rather than sentiment but stated his pleasure to witness its significance to Alexander-Arnold.
The manager also outlined how the No.66 is already showcasing captaincy qualities and making himself a potential leader for the club more permanently in the future.
“I said a lot of times, German and English people are really similar – we have a few differences but how you see the captaincy here in this country is completely different to Germany,” Klopp said during his pre-Fulham press conference.
“But I try to understand it, even when I was most of the time in my life educated in a different way. So, being a captain, it’s not so important who wears the armband actually, it’s much more important how you behave all around and yes, Trent is somebody who will be in this kind of role in the future. He is now already in parts, especially with the younger boys in the team; they all have a similar pathway to his pathway, 100 per cent.
“The reason… I didn’t think he is the ‘best leader’ now in the line-up of the last game, he is the longest in the club. When the players’ committee, the four captains if you want, are not there then it was clear it’s not even a decision. It was clear it’s then Trent.
“I realised when I told him that it means a lot to him and obviously a lot to him. That’s cool and it will be his role in the future, when other people finish their careers and stuff like this. He prepares himself already for that. He will be in the future the face of this club with some others hopefully, or one of the faces of this club. That’s really nice.
“And when I realised how much it meant to him, I was really happy that I made the decision. But the decision was a logical one because of the time he is in the club.”