Lijnders says Alexander-Arnold has come of age and is showing his leadership skills even at a young age.
Alexander-Arnold came through the ranks at Liverpool before making his first team debut in 2016. The 22-year-old has since established himself as one of the best right-backs in the world.
The Liverpool-born star has been one of the fulcrums in Jurgen Klopp’s side, which dominated both the Premier League and Europe in recent seasons.
Lijnders believes that Alexander-Arnold has the requisite wherewithal to assume leadership role at Anfield in the near future.
"I’m so proud of Trent. He was this natural technical talent when he was just 15 years old," Klopp's assistant coach told the club's official website.
"He had all the characteristics I loved: a mentality to win, passionate to improve but his emotions sometimes took control instead of him taking control over the emotions. He trained with so much power and competition.
"He grew step by step into the wonderful guy he is now, surrounded by a lovely family, he created this superb personality. He has this aggression in a positive way.
"If someone represents this quote of Bill Shankly it’s him: 'playing at the highest level isn’t pressure, it’s a reward'.
"I still see the same fire in his eyes in each training, but I don’t see this young guy anymore; I see a leader, I see someone who controls his emotions, a future captain. A leader by example.
"The best clubs have one thing in common, a ‘one club’ mentality. The culture spreads through all departments. It’s great that our talents, the real ones, can make these steps together with our team."
