Trent Alexander-Arnold: Thanks to everyone who helped me achieve this
Trent Alexander-Arnold declared his gratitude to all those who helped him along a career journey that has now been marked by the PFA Young Player of the Year honour.
The Liverpool right-back was selected for the prestigious prize by his peers after a season in which he was a huge contributor to his club winning the Premier League, FIFA Club World Cup and UEFA Super Cup.
Alexander-Arnold saw off competition from Chelsea duo Tammy Abraham and Mason Mount, Manchester United pair Mason Greenwood and Marcus Rashford, and Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka to scoop the award.
After receiving the trophy, the 21-year-old reflected on the significance of his achievement and detailed his thanks for all the support that has allowed him to reach such heights...
Watch: Trent on PFA Young Player of the Year award
On winning the PFA Young Player of the Year award…
[It’s] one of the biggest for me so far on a personal note, probably the biggest. Being a part of the names that I’ve seen on here, and to be a part of such an amazing trophy and be able to receive it, is an unbelievable honour for me and my family. It’s something we’ll always be proud of.
On how the names of the previous winners reflect the size of the achievement to win it…
It’s massive. [There are] massive names, some of the best that have ever played in the Premier League, undoubtedly a lot of Premier League legends on there. So, that’s obviously something I want to try to achieve. To be a part of the names that are on here is massive for me.
On the people who have helped him achieve the successes in his career so far…
Obviously first off I’ve got to say thanks to my friends and family, everyone who has helped me achieve this and to get to this point so far. Without them I wouldn’t be able to be here. They are the ones that see me after we get beat and they’re the ones that help me put those games behind me and keep focused and keep going. I’ve got to give thanks to them. Everyone at the Academy for the 10 to 12 years that I was down there, who taught me everything I know really and helped me along the way. I spent the majority of my career and my youth life at the Academy, day in and day out. It’s thanks to those people who moulded me into the person I am today. The staff and the manager and the people who have given me the opportunities to achieve things. Without those opportunities nobody can achieve anything, so I’ve got to give thanks to the staff and especially the manager for that. And obviously my teammates – without them none of this would be possible. The things we’ve achieved as a team are unbelievable. Hopefully there’ll be many more moments like this.
On this award being voted for by his fellow professionals and what it means to know he has their respect and admiration…
These types of awards, when it’s voted by people who have played against you and can maybe admire or respect the things you do on the pitch, is amazing. It’s a big thanks to all those that voted for me and have decided I deserve this trophy. It’s a big thanks to them. It’s huge for me to achieve this and it’s something I’ll never forget.
On the balance between appreciating what he has done and the hunger to do more after achieving so much already in his career…
There’s so much hunger. There are certain mentalities that are instilled in you from habits all the time, from the people around you that make you think like that, the manager, the staff and the way the club is run. There’s just always something more you can achieve, you can never settle on what you’ve achieved so far. For me, there’s a lot more to achieve and I know there’s still so much potential to reach. For me, really the sky is the limit. That’s what I’ve got to aim for. I’ve just got to keep working hard and hopefully I’ll be able to achieve more moments like this.
On the importance of LFC to everything he has achieved…
Everything really, it’s the club I’ve spent my whole life at. It’s all I’ve ever known, so to be able to play for this club and to represent them on a day-to-day basis is a dream come true. I’m living the dream every day, and to have special days like this when I’m able to just smile at winning trophies means as a club and as a team we’ve done the right thing and we are on the right track to achieving the things we want to achieve. Over the last two seasons we’ve done amazing things and I think we’ve still got a lot of potential to give. We know we can still achieve more things. That’s the exciting part and I think it’s an exciting time to be a Liverpool player.