Arne Slot admires Trent Alexander-Arnold ‘legacy’ goal but says team comes first

Liverpool head coach Arne Slot admires the ambition shown by Trent Alexander-Arnold in wanting to be remembered as the world’s best right-back and is eager for him to achieve it alongside success for the team.

In an interview this week the England international said his motivation was to build a legacy which would see him spoken about long after he had retired.

Those comments inevitably will raise questions about the long-term aspirations of the 26-year-old, who is out of contract in the summer and has been persistently been linked with Real Madrid – the home of regular Ballon d’Or winners.

But Slot was happy for Alexander-Arnold, who has provided three assists in 14 Premier League appearances this season, one in five in the Champions League and teed up Darwin Nunez for the opener in Wednesday’s Carabao Cup win over Southampton, to set his ambitions high as long as they contributed to the success of the team.

“I definitely like this in a player. I think this is something every player must have if you play at this level, if you don’t have this you probably don’t play at this level ,” said the Dutchman.

“As long as they understand that they need the team to be special as an individual. As long as they put the team first and as a result be special themselves, that is what they all do – including Trent.

“All the top players have this, they want to be special, they want to be the best. If that’s not what you have I think it is so hard to put the effort in to stay fit, to be good every three days.

“You always see them during the game and you probably think ‘What a life these players have’ and it is true, they have a great life, but they have to put a lot of work in to be able to at their best every three days.

“That is not