Ever since Trent Alexander-Arnold broke into the Liverpool first team back in 2016, there has always been debate about where he should play.
Under Jurgen Klopp, he has established himself as one of the best right-backs in world football and won everything there is to win. But that has never silenced talk of whether he should instead be utilised in midfield.
Of course, that notion has grown in prominence over the past 12 months, with Klopp now implementing the 25-year-old as an inverted full-back and Gareth Southgate considering Alexander-Arnold as an out-and-out midfield option. Meanwhile, he has also played in the engine-room on a number of occasions for the Reds.
With Klopp stepping down as Liverpool manager at the end of the season, it will be an intriguing sub-plot to see which position Alexander-Arnold predominantly plays in under the German’s successor.
The emergence of Conor Bradley at right-back, along with Joe Gomez’s return to form, does make a future in midfield at Anfield more of a possibility for the England international though. And with Alexander-Arnold set to return from injury next month, his fledgling deputy, having burst onto the Premier League scene in his absence, does believe there is room for both players in the Liverpool starting XI.
“Yes, possibly,” Bradley replied when asked if both can start in the same Reds line-up. “Trent is an unbelievable footballer and I think he could play pretty much anywhere.
“It is a difficult one (vying for the same position). It is a blessing in a way because I can learn so much off Trent. He has had a similar pathway to me coming through the academy.
“There are so many things I can take from him, the way he plays football, the way he conducts himself everyday and how hard he works.
“It is obviously going to be difficult for me to put Trent out of the team, but I just want to try and play as many games as I can and try and do as well as I can.”
He continued: “It’s difficult obviously coming into one of the best teams in the world and trying to break through and prove that you’re good enough to play every week.
“It was probably that (Chelsea at Anfield) game where I thought, ‘Right, I can do this’. I just need to be consistent with it and try and do things like that as much as I can. That was a big moment for me where I realised that this is possible for me and I can do it.
“My friends were over for the game so they were back at my apartment after the game and I just remember saying to them, ‘What’s just happened?’ It was like crazy. I just couldn’t believe what was happening to be honest with you.”
While potentially helping solve one positional debate, could Bradley also create another one? It has not gone unnoticed that he was playing as a winger when scoring his first international goal in midweek against Scotland.
