Well that’s unfortunate.
The Trent Alexander-Arnold hype train is barrelling along nicely after a pair of accomplished performances at right back for Liverpool since their season got underway.
The youngster earned plenty of fans against Watford on Saturday afternoon before starring for the Reds in their 2-1 victory in Hoffenheim midweek.
Alexander-Arnold opened the scoring in the Champions League qualifier with a stunning free kick, earning heaps of praise from manager Jurgen Klopp and club legend Steven Gerrard.
What were you doing at 18? https://t.co/YFmyCd1xBm
— FootballJOE (@FootballJOE) August 15, 2017
Nathaniel Clyne was warned to watch his back when he returns from injury because Alexander-Arnold will take some shifting from the team if he continues in his current form.
Jamie Carragher took to Twitter in the moments after the 18-year-old found the net to post a throwback picture of himself with a much younger Alexander-Arnold, as a mascot.
Or so he thought…
⚽️👌🏻 pic.twitter.com/DlQAutfe6R
— Jamie Carragher (@Carra23) August 15, 2017
Everyone just assumed that it was Alexander-Arnold beside the legendary centre-half but, apparently, it’s not him at all.
It would appear that the young lad in the above photograph is, in fact, Liverpool supporter Dion Simpson.
Simpson has claimed that it was he, not Alexander-Arnold, accompanying Carragher on to the Elland Road pitch ahead of a League Cup match with Leeds in 2009.
Sky Sports seemingly started the rumour that it was Alexander-Arnold last year and it has continued to run and run, much to Simpson’s dismay.
“I was a mascot back in 2009 against Leeds away, which is my hometown,” Simpson explained to the Liverpool Echo.
https://twitter.com/_Simps/status/897545703274143744
“And then last year Sky put some footage out on Sky Sports News which they thought was Trent, just before the recent EFL Cup game against Leeds last year.
“Then it went viral all last year – and now Carra has brought it back up again!”
So the next time you see the above photo do the rounds on social media, you should know that it’s not some romantic proof of the conveyor belt of talent being cultivated at Liverpool. It’s just some Liverpool fan who looks a bit like Alexander-Arnold might have looked as a kid.
“I already seen the footage in 2009 because someone recorded me at the game,” Simpson added.
https://twitter.com/_Simps/status/792278937560879104
“You could see me in the tunnel, but when they played it last year and thought it was Trent, it was pretty funny.
“And then the big Twitter accounts and newspaper accounts were posting it around on Facebook and Twitter, and it just kept going on for months.
“It’s only just died down, but now it’s gone even worse because Carra has posted the picture.”
