Trent Alexander-Arnold vs Aaron Wan-Bissaka: A clash of styles at the heart of an old rivalry

2:50 Sky Sports tactical expert Danny Higginbotham highlights how the return of Joe Gomez to the Liverpool defence has enabled Trent Alexander-Arnold to focus on his attacking strengths.

Manchester United boast the third-best record against top half of the table given their set up to counter-attack, losing just two of their 10 games, winning four and drawing four.

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Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side only had 32 per cent possession during the 1-1 draw with Liverpool in October’s reverse fixture – and tracking back has been highlighted as an area in which Alexander-Arnold can improve.

It was the subject of debate on Monday Night Football following Liverpool’s 2-1 win over Crystal Palace in November.

“It’s the trade-off,” Carragher admitted. “You’d never take Trent out of Liverpool’s team, but it’s not a trade-off where you say it’s OK to not be sprinting back and be better defensively.

“You want to keep what he’s got in terms of going forward because he’s the most creative player in Liverpool’s team, but he’s still got to improve on the other side of things.

“And I hope that message is still getting given to him on a daily basis by the staff. Just sprint back, it’s very basic.”

Can Wan-Bissaka reproduce Sterling masterclass?

England manager Gareth Southgate has an embarrassment of riches at right-back, with Chelsea’s use of Reece James this season and the emergence of Max Aarons at Norwich adding greater strength in depth to compete alongside the established pair of Kieran Trippier and Kyle Walker.

Where might Aaron Wan-Bissaka currently sit in the pecking order?

With Crystal Palace last term, his tackle count of 129 placed him third behind former Everton midfielder Idrissa Gueye (142) and Leicester’s Wilfred Ndidi (143) – earning him a £50m move to Manchester United last summer.

On Super Sunday, he will hope to further his claims to the position with the perfect opportunity to demonstrate his qualities when faced with nullifying Liverpool’s red arrows.

The full-back has gone from strength to strength and was outstanding during his side’s 2-1 win over Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium last month, getting the better of his duel with Raheem Sterling.

Wan-Bissaka produced five tackles, more than any other player, as Sterling was kept subdued, and the 22-year-old will relish coming up against Sadio Mane, the newly crowned African Footballer of the Year.

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But, like Alexander-Arnold, he is not yet the finished article.

The inconsistency that comes with youth was displayed during the subsequent 2-0 defeat at Watford, where a reckless challenge on Ismaila Sarr inside the box led to Troy Deeney doubling the hosts’ lead.

Souness said afterwards: “He goes to ground a lot, Wan-Bissaka, which isn’t a great sign for a defender.

“That means you’re not reading it early. The top men very rarely go to ground. They go to ground when it’s last ditch or they’ve been caught on their heels or someone’s done something very special against them.”

Having been converted from playing as forward during his youth career, Wan-Bissaka’s meteoric rise would not have occurred without taking such constructive criticism in his stride.

David de Gea, who ironically was at fault for Watford’s first, was subjected to similar doubts early on in his United career, only to emerge as one of Europe’s best goalkeepers.

In signing a six-year contract at Old Trafford worth a reported £25m, the belief is the Croydon-born defender will make the right-back berth his own – but Sunday will see a contrast with his opposite number.

Where Alexander-Arnold carries all the hallmarks of an attacking full-back, Wan-Bissaka resembles a throwback, focused on perfecting the art of defending.

Only Ndidi (138) and Watford midfielder Etienne Capoue (124) has made more interceptions than the United full-back’s 123. This season, Wan-Bissaka once more ranks highly for tackles made, with only Ricardo Pereira producing more.

‘Attacking output will define United career’

In making the high-profile switch up north, the intrigue lay in whether Wan-Bissaka could add greater creativity to his game as part of a superior side with heightened expectations, but the United full-back has created just nine chances in the Premier League this season. Alexander-Arnold has registered 60.

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“What will define his Manchester United career, probably more than the defensive side, will be what he’s like in the attacking half of the pitch, where he probably hasn’t got as much experience,” Carragher said following United’s 1-1 draw with Wolves last August.

The expectation back then was that United would not struggle for clean sheets, but only Tottenham and Norwich (both two) have kept fewer than their four in the Premier League.

It would appear Wan-Bissaka loves nothing more than making tackles, but this is born out of necessity rather than preference. His explosive pace is often what gets him out of trouble to atone for his initial positioning.

Going the other way, Alexander-Arnold ranks first for assists and open play crosses since the start of last season, while Wan-Bissaka sits 82nd and 21st on the respective lists.

Where Klopp has all his pieces in place, this season has shown the jigsaw facing Solskjaer is a four or five-window project.

Where once the full-back was judged first and foremost on his ability to prevent wingers from gliding past them, mastering the art of one-on-one defending is no longer necessarily enough for international recognition.

Remarkably given his price tag, Wan-Bissaka is yet to earn a senior cap for England, and he remains eligible to play for the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Southgate has preferred to use full-backs capable of contributing offensively, and it may only be through United’s implementation of greater defensive insurance that Wan-Bissaka can fully fit his criteria, emulating Alexander-Arnold’s raids down the right channel.

Striking a balance between those natural defensive tendencies and having greater attacking output is his next challenge, and – by hook or by crook – it may just decide who wins the latest renewal of an old rivalry.