Trent Alexander-Arnold has stressed the importance of Arne Slot’s relationship with his players if Liverpool are to be successful this season. The Dutchman succeeded Jurgen Klopp in the summer and has overseen 19 wins from his 22 matches in charge.

The Reds are top of both the Premier League and Champions League tables as a result, with their impeccable form made all the more impressive when you consider the ongoing uncertainty regarding the futures of Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah.

The trio are all out of contract at the end of the season, with Real Madrid known to be interested in signing the Liverpool vice-captain on a Bosman transfer next summer.

READ MORE: I have just witnessed the best of Arne Slot's man management at Liverpool

READ MORE: 'I made it clear to him' - Every word of Arne Slot's fascinating assessment of Darwin Nunez at Liverpool

Van Dijk and Salah have both publicly declared their desire to stay put at Anfield but Alexander-Arnold has kept quiet about his own intentions, with the England international determined not to have talks over his future be played out in public out of respect for his boyhood club.

He has been in impressive form in recent weeks following his return from a hamstring injury despite such speculation.

And he has now praised the unity between the Liverpool first team, Slot and his backroom staff as a key reason behind the Reds’ campaign so far.

“We’re just so kind of assured that we’re going to get results in games because we believe so much in [the] game plan,” he said, as quoted by the club website.

“It’s always important, especially under a new manager, to have a relationship that works both ways, which is what we’ve got. He needs to believe in us that we’re good enough to carry out the game plans and go and get the results and understand and apply what he tells us to do.

“Likewise, us as players, we need to see that the style of play and the tactics and the game plans are working and will get us results.

“I think from the first few games we really got that and then from then on, when you’ve got that belief flowing both ways it’s always going to be a good journey.”

Meanwhile, when talking about his love of passing, Alexander-Arnold also opened up on his connection with Salah and revealed how he grew up idolising the likes of Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard and former Real Madrid star David Beckham.

“You understand your players,” he said. “What they like and what they don’t like and what gives them the best chance to score or put them in a position where they can attack the defender.

“Mo can receive any ball, to be honest, but we have a connection where [I play it] over the top or he’s a runner, he likes to get in behind and then be isolated one-v-one.

“Whichever way I pass the ball, he knows what to do and what I mean by the pass. You’ve just got to understand your players and understand what they appreciate and what they don’t really.

“Every pass should be delivered as a message without having to talk. I think the person who receives the ball should know just from how the ball is played to you what the situation is for you – whether you can turn, whether you have to play it back, whether it’s in space. They should understand what your thinking was through the pass.”

He continued: “For me, it’s always been passing. I’ve always admired it, from a very young age. I was fortunate enough to grow up in an era where the passers of the ball were incredible.

“I was able to grow up watching [Steven] Gerrard, [Xabi] Alonso, [David] Beckham, [Andrea] Pirlo, the Spanish legends as well within that. I was very, very fortunate to grow up witnessing that.

“So I think from a young age I just always admired it; I thought it was a real art and a skill, and an artistry to it. Everything that goes into it – the weight of pass, the technique that you use, the speed of your pass.”