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The Reds' star has spoken openly about his future and his career in an honest interview on international duty

Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold looks on (Image: 2024 CameraSport)

Trent Alexander-Arnold admits he will only know if he truly fulfilled his potential the day after he retires as he outlined his hopes for the remainder of his career.

The Liverpool defender turned 26 earlier this week and is in line to continue his England journey during the international break as Lee Carsley’s side take on Greece on Thursday before a meeting with Finland on Sunday.

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Now inside the final year of his Anfield contract, the Reds’ vice-captain has been repeatedly linked with Real Madrid, who can speak to the West Derby-born star about a pre-contract agreement in January.

That prospect is an ominous one for Liverpool, who could yet lose one of their outstanding players for nothing in less than a year and speaking on England duty in a chat with ITV Sport, Alexander-Arnold has opened up on how he will view his own career when he finally calls time in years to come.

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And while the Reds full-back is eager to add more silverware to an already glittering collection, there are other factors he says he will consider at a time when his long-term future is the topic of daily debate.

“This was a conversation I had last camp with (Eberechi) Eze when we’re going to Ireland,” Alexander-Arnold said. “I was on the coach down 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.

“And 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.

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“But I don’t think you can value that on trophies and medals or goals and assists; anything like that. It’s more I give it absolutely everything from start to finish and I’ve put everything into it.

“And as long as I can say that, that every single day I put everything in to it, I tried to get better every single day, I tried to improve myself, I tried to be the best player I could be for the team and I tried to help the team win as many games as possible, and I believe that I maximised the potential that everyone told me from a very young age that I had, then I’ll be more than satisfied.”

Alexander-Arnold is one of three important players at Anfield whose contracts run out next summer, with captain Virgil van Dijk and top scorer Mohamed Salah also able to speak to clubs outside of England as of New Year’s Day.