After a torrid Tuesday night against Real Madrid, Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold has some cause to expect better treatment believes former Dundalk manager Vinny Perth.
One among many Liverpool's players that have failed to replicate form of recent years throughout this season, Trent Alexander-Arnold has had to contend with greater scrutiny than most.
Dropped from Gareth Southgate's England squad for the recent run of internationals, his performances have even become the source of great debate among Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher.
"I listened to some of that Sky stuff and it is great and fancy and all," stated Perth to OTB Sports on Thursday's show, "and far be it from me to question them, but I think there was a lot of hot air around that discussion and they missed the main point of it all."
While the prime concern surrounding Trent Alexander-Arnold continues to be his apparent inability to defend capably, Perth ultimately believes that the English full-back's attacking ability best suit what winning teams are doing in the modern game.
Beyond mere questions of form, however, Perth sought to highlight how the Liverpool defender has been poorly treated and what it may mean for him long-term.
"What Gareth Southgate has done is turn the floodlights on this player," noted Perth of Alexander-Arnold's publicised dropping, "and threw him under the bus.
"He highlighted everything where it would have been better man-management [to say], 'he's having a difficult time at his club, we're going to rest him and let him focus at things at Liverpool.'
"Southgate could have worded it a different way, but basically told the world he was dropped."
Only 22-years-old, Perth remains unsure whether Alexander-Arnold's relationship with the England boss can be restored.
"I don't know if there's a way back," he warned. "I would imagine that it is very, very difficult to rebuild and this would be a massive loss for England."
"I think Gareth Southgate could have treated him a little bit better."
Gareth Roberts of The Anfield Wrap shared his thoughts on how Trent Alexander-Arnold may be dealing with his critics | #LFC
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Full Video ➡️ https://t.co/Bhpl1177Ls pic.twitter.com/3S2N4mMpPZ— Off The Ball (@offtheball) April 8, 2021
On Wednesday's Off The Ball, Gareth Robert of The Anfield Wrap shared similar concerns about the treatment of Trent Alexander-Arnold by the England manager.
