Emile Heskey gives top-four prediction, tips Trent turnaround, talks Martinelli to Liverpool and reveals hilarious haircut story

Emile Heskey scored 39 goals from 150 appearances in five seasons with Liverpool, winning the UEFA Cup, FA Cup and League Cup twice.

Ahead of Sunday’s mouthwatering clash between Liverpool and Premier League champions Manchester City, Heskey spoke exclusively to Ladbrokes: Fanzone about Trent Alexander-Arnold, Gabriel Martinelli and life on Merseyside.

But the former Leicester forward kicked off the interview by discussing the top-four race in the Premier League.

City and Arsenal finish in top two; Spurs and United to miss out on Champions League spots

Liverpool are looking at the top four now, not the title race. They really need to start adding points sooner, rather than later though, because it’s a really tough position to be in when you start drifting away from the chasing pack.

Manchester City and Arsenal will finish in the top two in the Premier League this season. Then you’ve got the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool, Man United and Tottenham who’ll always be there or thereabouts.

I know a lot of people say they don’t like the way Spurs play, but if it’s getting you results, you’re obviously doing something right. It’s all about striking the right balance. Is it the most attractive football to watch? No, but what have they got to show for the kind of football they’ve played over the last few years? Nothing.

Ultimately as a fan you just have to ask yourself exactly what you want. It’s not pretty, but when you’re playing pretty football, you’ll always have a section of fans saying they want grit and they want fight. This isn’t just a Spurs thing, by the way, it goes for the whole division. It’s no good playing the best and most attractive football if you’re losing every week. It counts for nothing.

If you’re pushing me, right now – aside from Man City and Arsenal – I still believe Liverpool can finish in the top four. It’ll be a tough ask for them, make no mistake about that, but I believe they’ll sneak in there. And I’d probably say Chelsea are in there too. I’d put Chelsea in third and then Liverpool – and if not Liverpool then I’d say Spurs take fourth spot.

Trent’s defending hasn’t got worse – he’s doing the same defensively as he was when he first broke into the team

Trent Alexander-Arnold is in my team every day of the week. Look, we’ve never really analysed the defensive part of his game until now. We’ve always spoken about the threat he poses going forward. I actually think he’s doing the same defensively for the club as he was doing when he first made it into the first team. Everyone is pinpointing it at the moment because we’ve spent so long looking at all of his positives. I don’t think he’s got any worse, but I don’t think he’s improved that aspect of his game over the last few seasons.

I still think he’s got a lot to offer, though. He’s a fantastic player, but he’ll definitely have to work on certain parts of his game. I find with Trent that if you put a more senior player next to him, you’ll get the best out of him. If he’s playing next to Joe Gomez, you’ve got two lads who aren’t great talkers. Neither are great leaders, and that’s when he can be found wanting. But if he’s playing alongside a senior player, they’ll pull you in, dictate to you where you should and shouldn’t be going and help you through the game. Having Andy Robertson out on the left-hand side has historically helped Trent because it’s allowed him to tuck in a little bit more, whereas he’s not had that luxury recently.

If you go back to pre-season, the midfielders were actually tucking in, almost covering for Trent and letting him play higher up the pitch, and that seemed to work. But now he looks like he’s on his own, so it’s about getting things right on the training pitch and repeating it again and again.

Advice for Trent from someone who has dealt with media/fan criticism

I’ve dealt with my fair share of criticism over the years, from pundits, fans and the media. Trent is lucky to be at a club like Liverpool where – as I experienced – there are plenty of staff members around the place to help you, because it’s not easy. Let’s not forget, up until very recently people were saying he was one of the best to ever play in that position, and he’s still so young, and now all of a sudden he’s been the subject of so much criticism. It’s not easy to deal with.

He’s got ex-players telling him he’s a League One defender. The fascinating thing about this game is that everyone has got an opinion, but very few people give an answer or a solution. He needs more positives, things he can take forward.

Here’s how I dealt with that criticism. If I was that bad, the manager wouldn’t keep picking me. I knew – as does Trent – that there were plenty of players behind me in the pecking order ready to come in and replace me, but the manager kept picking me, and that’s a reassuring thought worth remembering. He’s the best in that team in that position.

Liverpool should look to bring in ‘fantastic’ Martinelli

I can’t see Arsenal letting Gabriel Martinelli go any time soon, but he’d definitely be someone I would be looking at if I were Liverpool. If you look at that aggression in his game and the way he’s played so far this season, there aren’t many out there with his ability. He’s up and down the pitch, non-stop, for 90 minutes. He’s got the ability to drive at players, pull them in and out of positions. He’s confident and comfortable on the ball to a point where, as a defender, you aren’t quite sure whether he’s going to have a shot, put a cross in or take you on.

He’s a fantastic player, someone who everyone would love to play with and hate to play against. He gives you no time whatsoever. There was a time in the game on Sunday where Joel Matip was dealing with a ball in the air. It looked like he had complete control and then out of nowhere Martinelli comes in, closes him down and took the ball off him. He got his body in the way, and he’s a strong lad these days, so once he’s in that position, he’s hard to beat. That was from something which wasn’t even a 50-50 ball, it was more a 70-30 ball in Matip’s favour. You’re always going to want players like that in your team.

I didn’t have a clue what to do in Liverpool; I’d drive to Leicester and back for a haircut!

I’m a Liverpool fan. I grew up around my uncle who was a huge fan and I just followed in his footsteps, really. So as soon as I knew they were interested in me, it was always going to be them. Yes, there was interest from Leeds, Tottenham and Aston Villa at the time, but I only ever wanted that Liverpool move. John Barnes was an idol of mine, so having them come calling was a dream come true.

They’d been sniffing around me for a long time before they made their move, so I knew there was always a bit of interest from their part. From that point, nothing else mattered to me. That was the team I wanted to play for and win trophies with.

Football-wise I loved the change of scenery and the idea of representing this massive club. I’d obviously been around a few of the English lads on international duty, so knowing the likes of Robbie Fowler, Danny Murphy and Michael Owen really helped me early on. It was great to be able to pick your wits against those names day in, day out, because at the time they were among the best in the business at what they did.

But outside of football I found the move very, very tough. I was 22, and I had my own family at that time, but I was still a kid, to be honest with you. I hadn’t grown up. I hadn’t moved from under my parents’ wings, so then moving to another city was a massive challenge.

We’re lucky nowadays that we have phones that do absolutely everything for us. We didn’t have that luxury back in the day. In the early days I’d actually drive from Liverpool to Leicester to get my hair cut, and then drive back to Liverpool! I just didn’t know where else to go and didn’t want to ask anyone, which is stupid in hindsight. I think I just felt like I was being a burden by asking anyone, but that was a really bad trait, and something I’m glad I’ve lost over the years.