Former Liverpool player Paul Ince has suggested that Trent Alexander-Arnold take over as captain from Jordan Henderson, but only on one condition.
Trent Alexander-Arnold has been touted as a future Liverpool captain. (Image: Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
Jordan Henderson has been captain of Liverpool since taking over from Steven Gerrard in the summer of 2015.
The England international has been a stellar example of what a captain should be — a leader on and off the pitch. Yet there will come a time, in the close future, where Henderson will no longer be on the pitch for Liverpool. His advancing years means the armband will have to be given to someone else on a semi-permanent basis.
According to former Liverpool star and current Reading boss Paul Ince, Trent Alexander-Arnold should be next in line to take over from Henderson.
“I don’t see any reason why Trent Alexander-Arnold can’t become Liverpool’s captain. He’s a fantastic defender and from a passing point of view, he’s the best in the world in my opinion,” Ince told Boylesports.
“He comes from Liverpool, he knows the club and the city and he’s adored by the fans.
“Jordan Henderson has been an absolutely brilliant captain and if Trent has any aspirations of being a captain then he can learn a lot from Henderson.
“Henderson is a very rare breed. Players these days, even at Reading, are very quiet. They spend a lot of time on the phone and forget about the art of actually talking to people.”
Considering the right-back’s precocious age — he is still just 24 — Alexander-Arnold would be one of the leading candidates to take over from Henderson as skipper when the 32-year-old does indeed move on. However, he is not immediately in line to take on the captaincy, with James Milner and Virgil van Dijk outranking him in the leadership group.
Interestingly, Andy Robertson took the armband recently in the absence of those three senior colleagues, despite Alexander-Arnold being on the pitch. So his ascension to the Liverpool captaincy is far from a given — but if he learns from Henderson, who is undoubtedly an excellent leader, he will be giving himself the best possible chance.
src: liverpool.com