Rio Ferdinand snubs Trent Alexander-Arnold despite Kevin De Bruyne and David Beckham comparison

Liverpool full-back Trent Alexander-Arnold appears to be in serious contention to start at the Euros for England, with Gareth Southgate sufficiently impressed by him in midfield. But Rio Ferdinand doesn't want to see him get the nod.

In a strange take, Ferdinand praised Alexander-Arnold to the rafters, likening him to two world-class midfielders of the last two decades, but nonetheless insisted he should not start. Almost in the same breath as drawing comparisons to Kevin De Bruyne and David Beckham, the former Manchester United defender questioned the 'level' of the Liverpool star.

Speaking on his FIVE podcast, Ferdinand suggested that Alexander-Arnold is in the same boat as Kobbie Mainoo. He believes that while both could be capable of earning a place as the tournament progresses, neither have done enough to merit a starting spot.

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"I think [Kobbie] Mainoo plays a part in this tournament, but I don’t start him initially," admitted Ferdinand. "Same as Trent.

"One of those two, I think, could almost come in and take a shirt at some point maybe, but that’s the team I would start with [without the duo].

"But I just look at it like this with Trent. Trent’s ridiculous. I can’t talk highly enough about him with the ball. His passing range is like De Bruyne, Beckham-esque, like them levels, right?

"Put the ball anywhere you want, but he’s, I don’t know, right now he’s not at that level. Has he played enough games in midfield?"

For her part, Fara Williams insisted that Alexander-Arnold should start. She envisages a partnership with Arsenal star Declan Rice.

"You know what, I think he has to be. Yeah, I'd start him in there alongside Declan Rice, 100 per cent.

"[Even] before the squad numbers came out... for me, Declan Rice isn't that player that can thread through the lines early, doesn't see passes early enough. Mate, Trent can do that. Half of the problem is we can't get our 10s, like Foden, in pockets early enough."

Liverpool.com says: So to sum up Ferdinand's opinion, Alexander-Arnold is at the levels of De Bruyne and Beckham, but not at the level to start for England. It's hard to follow his train of thinking here, but at least he's left himself something quotable regardless of whether the Liverpool man excels or struggles in Germany.

The one fair point he does make is that Alexander-Arnold has not had a huge deal of elite-level game time as a midfielder, so it's a risk to start him there at the Euros. But as WIlliams points out, it's a risk that seems worth taking — something Ferdinand is perilously close to realizing, given the De Bruyne and Beckham comparison.