Sheffield United winger Ben Woodburn's surprising hobby revealed by Liverpool team-mate Trent Alexander-ArnoldÂ

When you think of what most professional footballers do in their spare time, playing chess probably isn't the first thing that springs to mind.
By The Newsroom
Published 5th Oct 2018, 13:49 BST
Updated 6th Oct 2018, 03:34 BST
Ben WoodburnBen Woodburn
Ben Woodburn

But in a recent interview with The Sun, Liverpool and England defender Trent Alexander-Arnold has revealed he likes to play the game against his Liverpool team-mates and in particular on-loan Sheffield United winger Ben Woodburn.

Alexander-Arnold is set to play world champion Magnus Carlsen on Monday to see if he can mastermind his way to victory with the added help of eye-tracking technology from Kaspersky Lab that will guess his opponent's moves.

Ben WoodburnBen Woodburn
Ben Woodburn
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Sheffield United: '˜This is the best feeling of my career' says skipper Billy Sharp ahead of Saturday's big Yorkshire derby

The 19-year-old said: 'Chess, like football, is all about strategy and skill. Judging when and how to attack, whilst keeping a watchful eye on your defence.

'I've played since I was very young and more recently I play Ben Woodburn regularly, even though he is in Sheffield at the moment we still have time for matches.'

Sheffield United: Does Chris Wilder really need to sign another centre-forward? 

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Woodburn, 18, joined the Blades on a year-long loan deal in the summer but has been left out of the last two match-day squads '“ much to the irritation of Reds fans online.

After signing the Welsh starlet, United boss Chris Wilder insisted that "there is no pressure from any of the clubs to play any of their players.'

Related topics:Trent Alexander-ArnoldSheffield UnitedLiverpoolChris WilderBilly SharpEngland