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Trent Alexander-Arnold reflected on his meteoric rise at Liverpool over the past two years and admitted: “It has surpassed my wildest expectations.”

This week marks the second anniversary of the Academy graduate's senior Reds debut against Tottenham in the League Cup.

The young right-back from West Derby received a standing ovation when he was substituted that night at Anfield and since then he has lived the dream with his boyhood club.

Alexander-Arnold has gone on to clock up 54 appearances and despite only recently turning 20, he has already played in a Champions League final and a World Cup with England.

“I don't think many people, not even myself, would have imagined it going the way it has,” he smiled.

“It's down to the opportunities and the chances I've been given. It's something I'm really grateful for and hopefully there will be more opportunities like that, to be able to play in big games and big competitions. It's something I'm obviously excited for.”

Alexander-Arnold grew in stature over the course of Liverpool's thrilling run to Kiev last season.

Rubbing shoulders with Europe's elite has been a great education for him and he has relished every second of it. From the job he did on Manchester City's Leroy Sane in the quarter-final to having to deal with Cristiano Ronaldo in the final.

We're building up to tonight's Champions League match against Red Star Belgrade HERE

This season's campaign kicked off with Alexander-Arnold winning his battle with Neymar as Paris Saint-Germain were beaten 3-2 in a thriller.

“That's why you want to play in this competition - to pit yourself against the best players in the world and really test yourself,” he said.

“I have always wanted to play against those types of players. Obviously, we got beaten by Real Madrid but we took things away from that and used it as motivation for this season.”

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Having been ever present in the Premier League and the Champions League, the 20-year-old has been left out of the Reds' last two league matches. Jurgen Klopp has opted to play Joe Gomez at right-back instead.

However, Alexander-Arnold is set to be recalled for Wednesday's showdown with Red Star Belgrade at Anfield and he's hungry for action.

“Everyone gets moments like this in their career. It's part and parcel of the game,” he added.

“It's something you have to be ready for. You have to take the opportunities when they come.

“The aim is to be a regular and one of the first names on the teamsheet.

“If it's not happening there's obviously room for improvement. It will take time and a lot of hard work so it's just a case of being patient.”

Liverpool are level on points with Premier League leaders Manchester City and remain well placed in their Champions League group, despite the last-gasp defeat in Naples earlier this month.

But Alexander-Arnold admits that the Reds have yet to perform anywhere near their maximum so far this term.

Klopp's side have failed to score more than once in their past five matches in all competitions. The hope is that some fluency will return against Red Star.

"Obviously it is frustrating, we know we're not hitting out full potential yet but it's still a long season so there's a lot of time and a lot of room for improvement," he said.

"I think we just have to be patient. We know with the quality we've got the performances will come.

"If other teams want to be worried about us then that's up to them. If not then okay, but that's not going to change the way we play or how we approach a game. We're just focused on ourselves."