Alexander-Arnold's family link to Ferguson Man Utd were desperate to exploit

17 December 2023 , 06:00

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Alexander-Arnold's family link to Ferguson Man Utd were desperate to exploit

Liverpool star Trent Alexander-Arnold's grandmother once dated Manchester United legend Sir Alex Ferguson. Before Alexander-Arnold was a star player for Jurgen Klopp's team, his maternal grandmother Doreen Carling was dating Sir Alex, as revealed in the United icon's autobiography.

Sir Alex described Doreen as his "first steady girlfriend" and they were together for about 18 months during their teenage years in Glasgow. However, like many first loves, their relationship eventually fizzled out.

Doreen later moved to New York and got married, ending any chance of rekindling her romance with Fergie. This move also meant that Alexander-Arnold could have played international football for the United States before he decided to play for England.

Interestingly, his family connections to Manchester United don't stop there. One of his mum's cousins, John Alexander, was the club secretary for the Red Devils from 2010-2017.

As Alexander-Arnold was climbing the ranks in Liverpool, he chose to stay in Merseyside rather than follow his relative to Manchester. When asked about this decision by Sir Alex, Alexander-Arnold reportedly said: "My mum doesn't drive on motorways."

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Former United academy manager Brian McClair once shared: "Even though his uncle was the secretary, you knew you weren't going to get him. So we were never going to get him.

Alexander-Arnold is establishing himself as an Anfield icon (TIM KEETON/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

"His sister is a Liverpool fan, the family were all Liverpool fans, he wasn't going to leave Liverpool. It was a simple message. You can't say to John Alexander 'get into your sister' because she only knows the answer."

At just 25 years old, Alexander-Arnold has already bagged the Premier League title, the Champions League, FA Cup, League Cup, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup, and this season took over the vice-captaincy of the club following the departures of Jordan Henderson and James Milner.

* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story. You can report any errors to [email protected]

Dan Burnham