Liverpool boss Arne Slot has fired criticism at Trent Alexander-Arnold ahead of the defender’s final game for Liverpool.
The academy graduate will depart the Reds after 20 years at the club at the end of the season, joining Real Madrid in a free transfer that has left a number of Reds fans enraged.
While one fan was seen burning a shirt with the vice-captain’s name on once he announced the news, a number of other Reds supporters booed loudly when Alexander-Arnold was introduced as a substitute against Arsenal.
Since, he remained on the bench against Brighton last week, and it remains unclear what role he will have to play in his final game as a Liverpool player this weekend before he leaves for Madrid.
The booing triggered a sour end to what had been a relatable relationship between the player and his side’s fans, which now appears to have turned, with a number of other Liverpool players calling for supporters not to boo him
Now, though, his own manager has changed his tune, declaring that Alexander-Arnold sometimes struggled in training and needs to up his game defensively.
‘He’s going to leave anyway so why not, it might be the first gift I can give Xabi Alonso,’ Slot said of the 26-year-old. ‘I wasn’t completely happy with every single minute he was on training ground.
‘In my opinion there were certain moments he could do more, to put it mildly. I told him he’s a much better defender than people think, but you don’t show it all the time.’
Slot was present at Alexander-Arnold’s ‘Summer of 66’ leaving party last week, having arrived back from Ibiza following a few days on partying on the back of his side winning the Premier League.
Liverpool have generally supported their player, with Mohamed Salah telling Gary Neville that ‘the fans were being harsh with him’ and ‘he didn’t deserve it’.
Dominik Szoboszlai, meanwhile, was among the players to question the home fans on the pitch after Alexander-Arnol received a hostile reception against Arsenal.
The England star is known as one of the best passers in world football, often stepping into midfield for Liverpool, and is set to be confirmed as a Real Madrid player in due course.
There, he will join up with international team-mate and best friend Jude Bellingham, but it still remains to be seen if he will go with his best wishes from Reds supporters this weekend.
While his attacking talent is undoubted, his defensive play is something that at times has been called into question – something that Slot has now too backed up.
