Trent Alexander-Arnold names ex-Man City starlet as the best opponent he faced who 'never made it' to the top

Trent Alexander-Arnold has opened up on the best opponent he has ever faced who 'never made it' to the top.

Despite a promising start to the Premier League campaign, Liverpool were left deflated after Tottenham beat them 2-1 thanks to a Joel Matip own-goal in the dying embers of stoppage.

To add insult to injury, the Reds had a goal incorrectly disallowed for offside due to a miscommunication with VAR and referee Simon Hooper.

While Liverpool's 2-2 draw with Brighton may have felt like an opportunity missed, having led the game for over half an hour before Lewis Dunk's equaliser.

Alexander-Arnold has since sat down with Liverpool's YouTube channel to discuss a number of topics, including his favourite away ground and the one moment he would like to relive from his Liverpool career.

The 25-year-old was also asked about the best player he had ever come up against who 'never made it' to the top.

After a long pause, Alexander-Arnold replied: "I would say Brandon Barker, played for [Manchester] City."

"I was 18, playing for the Under-21s, first ever time at Anfield, got beat 3-0. He scored two and got an assist. I came off at 60

"Still to this day, he's the opponent I think that just destroyed me, man. I've never had it like that before.

"At that point I'm thinking: 'this kid is going to be the best player in the world' because I'd never seen someone move so quickly and sharp and effectively, so I'd say Brandon Barker."

Barker never broke into City's first-team and was shipped out on loan to Rotherham, Dutch side Breda, Hibernian and Preston North End, before eventually signing a permanent deal with Rangers in 2019.

After a more successful loan spell with Oxford United, the Englishman joined Reading as a free agent, where he managed just four appearances before taking up a new challenge in Cyprus with Omonia.

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Topics: Trent Alexander-Arnold, Liverpool, Football, Manchester City

Joe Adams

Joe is a Journalist for SPORTbible with a primary focus on football. He has previously covered a number of other sports including boxing, rugby and F1. Wishes he was born left-footed.

@joeadamsjourno