Pep Guardiola approach is just what Liverpool needs amid Trent Alexander-Arnold worry

Trent Alexander-Arnold has already won every major trophy available to him at Liverpool, but he wants more.

Having become a European and Premier League champion by the time he was 21, the academy graduate has added an FA Cup and two League Cups to his haul in recent years. Whether he will taste more success with the Reds though is up in the air.

Inside the final year of his contract at Liverpool, there is mounting speculation over a potential move to Real Madrid. If he doesn’t sign a new deal at Anfield before the turn of the year, Alexander-Arnold will be free to negotiate a pre-contract agreement with the Spanish giant in January.

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It’s easy to see why a move to the Bernabeu would appeal to the Liverpool vice-captain or anyone for that matter. Alexander-Arnold has made no secret of his desire to win more trophies in his career, and he would be virtually guaranteed to do so in Madrid.

"I want to win trophies; I am a player who is highly motivated by trophies and winning things and being elite,” Alexander-Arnold said last month in response to questions about his future. “So that is probably the main factor of anything, if you have a personality that is elite, who wants to win and will do anything to win, then that is what drives me.”

The 26-year-old has doubled down on that mentality during the international break, admitting to ITV Sport that he will only know whether his career has been a success once it’s over.

"This was a conversation I had last camp with (Eberechi) Eze when we were going to Ireland," Alexander-Arnold revealed. "I was on the coach down to the airport and we had this conversation. I said, you know, that there's a chance I may never win another trophy in my career again. There's a chance of that. There's a chance I win many, many more.

"You'll only know the morning after you retire. You'll look yourself in the mirror, and you'll have a feeling of either regret or satisfaction of what you have achieved."

Of course, that could be read as Alexander-Arnold having fears over whether he will add more silverware to his collection at Liverpool. It’s not just Anfield where his legacy will be decided, though.

With the tide turning for him with the England team as he finally gets the chances he should have been handed a long time ago, there could be an opportunity for him to add silverware on the international stage – especially if Pep Guardiola takes over the Three Lions.

According to The Times, the Manchester City boss has been approached by the FA and is the preferred option for the England job. His contract at the Etihad is set to expire at the end of the season, and he has admitted to not knowing what he will do yet.

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Of course, if he did take the England job, the Three Lions would surely be expected to end their long trophy drought, which will reach the 60-year mark by the time the next World Cup rolls around.

Being part of the England side that finally ends that wait would secure a very special legacy for Alexander-Arnold, and one that might just quench the thirst for trophies that might be drawing him toward Madrid. After all, there are some true legends of the game that can’t claim to have won trophies on the international stage.

And that’s before you consider the impact Guardiola’s departure from City could have on the Premier League’s most dominant side right now. No doubt Liverpool’s hopes of winning silverware would be given a major boost if that were the case.

In those regards then, there’s every reason for Liverpool to hope that Guardiola takes the England job. It could be just what they need to convince Alexander-Arnold to stay.