Former Manchester City starlet Brandon Barker, who once toyed with Trent Alexander-Arnold, is searching for a new club after being released by Morecambe.
Alexander-Arnold has duelled with a litany of star names in his career so far, but coming up against City U21s still sticks out in his mind. The England international was part of a team that lost 3-0 at Anfield, with City winger Barker pulling the strings.
When asked to name one opponent who had not lived up to their potential, Alexander-Arnold recalled that difficult day in 2016. “I would say Brandon Barker, played for [Manchester] City,” he told Liverpool’s YouTube channel. “I was playing for the Under-21s, first-ever time at Anfield, got beat 3-0. He scored two and got an assist. I came off at 60 [minutes],
"Still to this day, he's the opponent I think that just destroyed me, man. I've never had it like that before. At that point, I'm thinking 'this kid is going to be the best player in the world '. Because I’d never seen someone move so quickly and sharp and so effectively.”
While Alexander-Arnold slightly misremembers the game - Brandon scored once and provided two assists - his feelings from that match remain vivid. Since then, their careers have gone in different directions.
Jurgen Klopp's approach with Robert Lewandowski bodes well for Darwin NunezBarker signed a short-term deal with League Two side Morecambe in January, having been a free agent since leaving Cypriot club Omonia, where he had faced Manchester United in the Europa League. The winger, 27, quickly made two appearances for the Shrimps but suffered a serious hamstring injury which ruled him out for the remainder of the season. Morecambe announced last month that Barker had not been offered a contract extension and was one of several senior players looking for a new club.
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A decade ago, it all looked so promising for Barker as he was named City’s academy player of the year. However, the star prospect struggled with the leap to the first team, making only one appearance for his boyhood club. Having spent time at Rotherham United and Preston, as well as Dutch side NAC Breda and Hibernian, he secured a permanent move to Rangers in 2019.
Barker failed to make his mark with Steven Gerrard’s side, being shipped out on loan to Oxford United, but he did earn a 2021 league winners’ medal for his contribution to Rangers’ invincible season. He briefly joined Reading after being released in January 2022. Despite his struggles at Ibrox, ex-Rangers teammate Andy Halliday insists that Barker’s ability was always clear to his teammates.
"Brandon Barker. One of the best trainers I have ever seen,” Halliday said. "I know for a fact if you ask anyone who has played with him at any club - whether it's Hibs or Preston - they'd all say the same thing.”
"He was at Man City when he was younger and apparently he was the one coming through at Man City at that time,” he added. “Honestly, in training, he would get the ball off the goalie, dribble by the full team and score. I'm not saying people thought Brandon Barker was s**** but fans would say he's not good enough but in training..."
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