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Trent Alexander-Arnold says manager Jurgen Klopp “will always be special to the club” as Liverpool close in on their first league title in 30 years.
Alexander-Arnold, who has been at the club since he was six, says Klopp has done “everything” for the Reds and what he has changed has been “mind-blowing”.
Liverpool are six points off winning the Premier League title.
“You have to respect the things he does,” the 21-year-old right-back told BBC Radio 5 Live.
“To change the whole club, to change everyone from doubters to believers, to get everybody thinking the same way, believing the same way and having the same dreams…
“He just embodies the whole club. Even without being from the city, the country and being local, he just clicks with the club. He does it with every person – the fans, the staff and the players.”
Alexander-Arnold added that Klopp “develops the people around him” and “makes their dreams come true”.
Last year, Liverpool became European champions for a sixth time following victory over Tottenham in the Champions League final.
It was their second successive final after defeat by Real Madrid in 2018.
They also finished runners-up to Manchester City in the Premier League last season, having lost just one game and recording the third-highest points total in the history of the English top flight.
When Klopp took over in October 2015, Liverpool were 10th in the league table.
‘You have to wait to celebrate it’
When the Premier League was suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic, Liverpool sat 25 points clear at the top of the table.
Following a 100-day lay-off, the league resumed on Wednesday with Liverpool two wins away from the title.
“If you can imagine your ultimate dream and being so, so close to it – two steps away from it really – and someone saying ‘you need to wait over 100 days then you might get it’. It was quite frustrating,” said Alexander-Arnold.
“But the league position hasn’t changed, our mentality hasn’t changed and that is to win every game, push boundaries, break records, win the league and be remembered.”
As well as waiting to wrap up the title, Liverpool fans will have to wait before celebrating as it is likely any parade will have to be delayed because of restrictions on large gatherings.
“You have to wait so long to win the league, then when you do it, you have to wait so long to celebrate it properly,” added Alexander-Arnold, who grew up in the Liverpool suburb of West Derby.
“The things we see on that day, though, will hopefully be things we will never forget.”
You can listen to the full interview on BBC Radio 5 Live Sport from 14:00 BST on Sunday.
‘We have to use our profile’
On Sunday, Alexander-Arnold announced he will auction the boots he wears in the Merseyside derby to raise money for the Nelson Mandela Foundation, which strives for “freedom and equality for all”.
His boots will be adorned with the message ‘Black Lives Matter’, which is also replacing player names on shirts for the first 12 matches of the restarted season.
“‘Do your talking on the pitch.’ I’ve always loved that sentiment. But now we need to speak up in other ways as well,” Alexander-Arnold wrote on Twitter.
“It can no longer just be our feet where we express ourselves. We have to use our profile, the platforms we have and the spotlight that shines on us to say, it’s time for meaningful change.”
He added: “While we have this opportunity, where people are listening – let’s speak, let’s educate, let’s campaign and let’s promote the message that better education brings change.
“This is the moment of change. This is the moment to say enough is enough. This is the moment to make sure it stops now. Racism is a fire that is now burnt out.”Trent Alexander-Arnold✔@trentaa98
Enough is enough. It’s time for change. #BlackLivesMatter
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