Jurgen Klopp backs Arsenal forward Gabriel Martinelli to ‘have a proper career’

Jurgen Klopp has backed Gabriel Martinelli to have a ‘proper career’ but has praised how Trent Alexander-Arnold dealt with the Brazilian in Liverpool’s Carabao Cup win over Arsenal on Thursday evening.

Two superb goals from Diogo Jota sealed a 2-0 win for Liverpool which secured their place in the Carabao Cup final against Chelsea on February 27.

Martinelli had a lively game on Arsenal’s left flank and caused Alexander-Arnold problems throughout the match.

And Klopp believes Alexander-Arnold’s performance against Martinelli was ‘outstanding’.

‘I don’t know anybody who is like Trent, who is a right-back and is that decisive and influential and all these kinds of things,’ said Klopp.

‘I heard again last night on the bus on the way home, the television is on and you hear people talking. And I really don’t like always when they mention, ‘yes, his defending, defensively he’s not that good, but he’s offensively he’s better’.

‘I thought he did outstandingly well defensively last night. Little Martinelli, we will talk about this player in the future, I can promise.

‘If he is without major injuries he will have a proper career, so it’s really good what Trent did there against him.

‘He kept him busy defensively, and where he showed up, the package of Trent is insane.

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‘It’s not that he delivers every day, so there are still departments where can improve and he has to improve and we will work on them and I will not stop telling him, but yeah the package is really interesting I have to say.

‘I am not sure what it means [for him] in