Trent Alexander-Arnold divided opinion in the Sky Sports studio after his dismal performance against Manchester United, amid intense interest from Real Madrid.
The right back was the subject of a £20million bid from the Spanish giants in the week as he enters the final six months of his contract at Anfield. Alexander-Arnold’s impressive displays this term have made it easy for Liverpool boss Arne Slot to insist that the defender is not distracted by the headlines.
But Sunday night’s performance against the Red Devils suggested a different story. The 26-year-old fell well below his usual best in an attacking sense and was poor defensively.
The display raised the question among the Sky pundits over whether the England international’s mind could be elsewhere. Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher even suggested that the player’s representative may have invited the untimely bid, while former United defender Gary Neville disagreed and claimed that Alexander-Arnold is underappreciated in this country.
‘I thought he was really poor. I don’t think the game could have gone much worse for him,’ Carragher said. ‘I was expecting a really big performance. He was poor defensively but there was nothing going forwards.
‘I’m not naive enough to think Real Madrid will bid in January for a player they can get for free. He’s getting a lot of criticism for the fact he might leave for free.
Trent Alexander-Arnold had a night to forget against Manchester United and was substituted late on in the 2-2 draw
Jamie Carragher suggested that Alexander-Arnold and his camp would have been aware of Real Madrid’s bid this week
Gary Neville claimed that the England international, whose Anfield contract expires in the summer, is underappreciated in this country
‘If Real Madrid put a bid in in January and Liverpool don’t accept it maybe they can say at the end of the season, “well you were offered £30 or £40m”. For me it was just to buy a bit of time at the end of the season if he goes for free.’
Neville said: ‘The bid from Real Madrid is bad timing for him. That won’t be an easy distraction. I thought it was insulting from Real Madrid. They’re not going to sell Trent for £20m in January. You can imagine that noise going on in his head before the game.’
Neville added: ‘He probably feels in this country he doesn’t get the respect he deserves. I’ve been critical of his defensive performances.
‘If anybody came in for me I’d never leave my club. That doesn’t mean I was right.’
In an often frenetic post-match discussion involving the pair as well as former Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge and United legend Roy Keane, Carragher said: ‘The disappointing thing for me – he could be the captain in two or three years – if I was in his position I’d want to put Liverpool above Man United on league titles.
‘It’s more just disappointment. I would love to have been playing for the best team in the league.’
Along with captain Virgil van Dijk and talisman Mohamed Salah, Alexander-Arnold is now able to sign a pre-contract with foreign clubs. Though, due in part to his silence on the matter, his future at Anfield is the most uncertain.
Sturridge, who played alongside the full back on Merseyside, empathised with his situation and insisted that he is not the kind of player who would let off field matters affect his performances.
Alexander-Arnold is close friends with England and Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham
Liverpool supporters raised a banner in the Kop against the club’s owners over the trio of players
‘He’s a professional guy,’ the former striker said. ‘It’s not his personality to not be focused on the game – Trent can defend better but there were moments where he had no help too.
‘It’s a lose, lose either way. Everyone that’s involved in the football club should want him to stay. The club know Trent’s contract is running down.
‘His contract has six months left. None of the three of them should be in this predicament. We don’t know contracts have been offered and have been rejected. Jurgen leaving was a spanner in the works for everybody.
‘To leave these three players in a predicament like this.’
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‘If he leaves the amount of games he’s played for Liverpool. Show a bit of class and say all the best to you,’ Keane added before conceding that his form must return to its usual standard for the Reds to clinch the title.
He said: ‘What could derail it is if he defends like that for the rest of the season. You’ve got to defend better.’
Liverpool supporters made their feelings known ahead of kick-off, with a banner that was unfurled in the Kop end depicting their three soon-to-be out-of-contract stars.
The accompanying captain read: ‘FSG Give Mo & Co their dough’.
Reds fans reacting to the banner online praised those inside the ground for taking a stand against the club’s ownership with one post on X stating: ‘Fans making it clear—pay Salah and the team what they deserve.’
Another similarly added: ‘Fans are making their voices heard in the Kop… The message is clear: FSG, give Mo and the team what they deserve.’
