- Alexander-Arnold appointed vice-captain
- Was expecting scolding from Klopp
- Virgil van Dijk made Liverpool captain
WHAT HAPPENED? Liverpool, on Monday, announced that Virgil van Dijk will replace Jordan Henderson as the club's new captain while Alexander-Arnold will serve as a deputy to the Dutch defender.
Upon being made the vice-captain of the club, the English international full-back suggested that before Klopp informed him about his new role at the club, Alexander-Arnold was a 'hairdryer treatment' for giving the ball on too many occasions in pre-season training.
WHAT THEY SAID: Speaking to reporters, the full-back said, "At first I thought he was going to tell me to stop giving the ball away! It was a lovely surprise to be honest, not one I was expecting at that moment. I thought we would have a conversation about that sort of thing at some point but not at that moment. But it was special, it was a moment I will remember.
"I feel ready (to step up). I feel like I’ve been a leader and I lead by example with the things I do on a daily basis. The lads see me as someone in a leadership role, I’m happy the manager and staff see that too. I want to make sure I take responsibility for what I do and how the team performs as well. It’s an amazing position to be in. There’s more responsibility to make sure we succeed and achieve the things we want this season."
He added, "I’ve put in a lot of hard work up until this moment to reach these kinds of milestones. It is a moment where I’ve reflected and thought I’m proud of myself. It made me smile and I’ve been very happy. It takes a lot to make me smile! I’ve never been shy about what my ambitions are… to captain this club. This is a pathway and a stepping stone to that. It’s a role and responsibility I’m looking forward to and I can’t wait to get the season started."
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Alexander-Arnold replaced James Milner as the club's vice-captain who left the Reds after eight years to join Brighton this summer.
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WHAT NEXT? Jurgen Klopp's side will be next seen in action on Wednesday in a pre-season friendly when they take on Bayern Munich.