Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold admits he has a difficult balancing act in showing Cristiano Ronaldo enough respect but not too much that he is taken advantage of.

The 19-year-old has been on an upward curve since making his first-team debut in a League Cup tie in October 2016 which has ultimately led him to a senior England call-up for this summer’s World Cup.

But first he has a Champions League final against Real Madrid to play in Kiev on Saturday and a meeting with the competition’s leading scorer both this season and of all-time.

Alexander-Arnold excelled against Professional Footballers’ Association Young Player of the Year Leroy Sane, three years his senior, in their quarter-final clash with Manchester City but the Liverpool academy graduate knows the 33-year-old Ronaldo poses a greater threat.

“Most opponents aren’t Ronaldo! You have to show him respect but not too much, because that’s when you get taken advantage of,” said the right-back.

“You have a job to do and whoever I am up against I will try to come out on top like I always try.

“Obviously, the right preparation for these kind of tests is training against world-class players like Mo (double Player of the Year and Premier League Golden Boot winner Mohamed Salah).

“All the team push each other every single day, and every day we see an improvement in all of us.

“We’ve come a long way this season and hopefully at the weekend we can top it off.”