Liverpool fans gave Trent Alexander-Arnold a frosty reception upon his return to Anfield on Tuesday night, and the Real Madrid defender’s reaction was caught on video.
There were early signs the right-back wasn’t going to be welcomed with open arms by certain sections of the fanbase, with his mural being defaced on the morning of the game.
Considering Trent played a key role in the Reds winning every top honour during his time with his boyhood club, there has been a mixed reaction to the boos he received on Tuesday, although Jamie Carragher has come out batting for the supporters.
Upon hearing Peter Schmeichel brand the behaviour as “disgusting”, Carragher responded: “I don’t agree with what you’ve said there.
“I think the supporters decide what type of reception he gets and the reason why the reception will be poor tonight, which I would expect, is because Trent throughout those 20 years, as I’ve said, has played the position of ‘I’m a supporter on the pitch’. So them supporters who are all in the stadium wouldn’t leave on a free transfer to go play for Real Madrid.”
Trent receives boos during the warm-up
With the 27-year-old only being brought on in the 81st minute, there were limited opportunities for Liverpool fans to show him how they felt, but the defender’s reaction to the boos when his name was announced during the warm-up was caught on video.
From the outside, the England international seems unfazed, seen laughing and joking with his Real Madrid teammates, but it will surely have hurt, even if it was to be expected, given the manner in which he left the club.
Arne Slot clearly still has respect for his former player, however, with the Dutchman being pictured embracing him at the end of the match.
With the academy graduate moving on, Slot has rotated between Jeremie Frimpong, Conor Bradley and even Dominik Szoboszlai at right-back, and the Hungarian put in a fantastic performance against Arsenal at the end of August, scoring a remarkable free-kick.
Bradley also showed he could be up to the task of replacing Trent with a solid performance against Madrid, making a number of important defensive and attacking contributions.
Statistic
Number completed
Clearances
2
Tackles
3
Duels (won)
13 (8)
Dribbles (successful)
4 (3)
Frimpong is yet to truly get going, having already suffered two injury set-backs, but Slot should be happy with the options he has at right-back, and the manager will be hoping his side winning their last two games on the spin can be a turning point in the season.
Dominik Szoboszlai emerging as Liverpool's star man this season