• ‘It’s clear to me he has been a good defender all his life’
• Manager says team can still improve at the back

Arne Slot has told Trent Alexander-Arnold that his ability to maintain “100%” concentration holds the key to his improvement as a defender.

The Liverpool vice-captain outlined an ambition to become “the defender that no one wants to come up against in Europe” during talks with the club’s new head coach in pre-season. Speaking after Saturday’s 3-0 victory over Bournemouth, when he was directly involved in the 100th goal of his Liverpool career, the 25-year-old claimed criticism of his defensive attributes was “harsh” but said he was intent on improving. Slot believes he has identified how.