Troy Deeney admits he may have just said something that 'sounds really harsh' about Trent Alexander-Arnold

09/07/2024 01:00 PM

Despite a terrific start to the season, there are some questions that still need answering about Liverpool’s current squad.

The Reds have begun the campaign in excellent fashion, winning three games out of three and keeping a clean sheet in them all.

For the time being, the Liverpool squad looks in very good shape indeed. However, there is uncertainty over exactly how long it will be together for.

The next months are likely to prove crucial in knowing which of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk will still be at Anfield next season.

With all three currently set to depart next summer, former Premier League striker Troy Deeney has given his thoughts on what is likely to happen.

Troy Deeney makes ‘really harsh’ Trent Alexander-Arnold claim

In reality, each of these three Liverpool players is just as important as the last.

Salah gets the goals, Van Dijk keeps them out and Alexander-Arnold is the man who tends to create them.

Nevertheless, given the size of the contract each would command, it seems somewhat unfeasible that they will all sign on to fresh terms at Liverpool.

And in the event that the Liverpool owners may need to make some tough decisions on who to prioritise, Deeney has attempted to give them a roadmap.

READ MORE: Liverpool have decided which player they’re set to offer a contract to first

“Van Dijk is not getting any younger, but I think, and this is going to sound really harsh, but in order of priority I would have gone, Salah first, Van Dijk second then Trent,” Deeney told TalkSPORT.

“What I mean by that is you are going to need at least two players to recreate what Salah gives you, goals and assists-wise.

“Centre-back – every centre-back they have got apart from Van Dijk is a number two,” adds the pundit. “It's very difficult to go out and find, as Man United are finding, to find that number one centre-back.

“I think of the three, he (Alexander-Arnold) is the easier one to replace.”

Who should Liverpool sort out first?

To many supporters, Deeney will actually have gotten things completely mixed up here.

Given the respective ages and values of all three, there is a strong argument that Liverpool should prioritise Alexander-Arnold’s contract.

The academy graduate is comfortably a £100m footballer in ordinary circumstances. If the Reds botch his contract and let Trent leave for nothing, not only will they be losing a hugely gifted player, they’ll also be missing out on a massive financial windfall.

In terms of importance on the pitch, you can understand what Deeney is saying. Salah and Van Dijk are both legends of the game, generational players who will likely never really be replaced.

However, the Reds are going to have to accept at some stage in the not too distant future that they are both going to go. Still only 25, Alexander-Arnold is years off hitting that moment. The Scouser should be the priority.