Liverpool fans gave Trent Alexander-Arnold a frosty welcome upon his return to Anfield on Tuesday night, with the Real Madrid defender’s reaction caught on video.
There were early signs that the right-back would not be welcomed with open arms by some sections of the fanbase, with his mural defaced on the morning of the match.
There was a mixed reaction to the boos Trent received on Tuesday, despite Jamie Carragher coming into bat for the supporters, given that he played a key role in helping the Reds win all the top honors during his time at his boyhood club.
After hearing Peter Schmeichel condemn the act as “disgusting”, Carragher replied: “I don’t agree with what you said there.
“I think it will be up to the supporters to decide what kind of reception he will receive, and the reason for the bad reception tonight, as I would expect, is because, as I have said, for the last 20 years Trent has played the role of ‘supporter on the pitch’. So the supporters in the stadium will not leave on a free transfer to play for Real Madrid.”
Trent gets booed during warm-ups
The 27-year-old only came on in the 81st minute, giving Liverpool fans limited opportunity to make their feelings known, but the defender’s reaction to boos when his name was announced during the warm-up was captured on video.
From the outside, the England international looks unfazed, laughing and joking with his Real Madrid team-mates, but given his attitude when he left the club, there’s no doubt he was hurt, even if that was expected.
But it’s clear Arne Slott still respects his former player, as the Dutchman was pictured hugging him after the match.
Following the transfer of the academy graduate, Slott rotated at right-back between Jeremy Frimpong, Conor Bradley and even Dominik Szoboszlai, and produced some excellent performances, including a stunning free-kick against Arsenal at the end of August.
Bradley also showed that he is up to the task of replacing Trent with a solid performance against Madrid, making a number of important contributions in defense and attack.
statistics | completed number |
clearance | 2 |
tackle | 3 |
Duel (win) | 13(8) |
dribbling (successful) | 4 (3) |
Frimpong has already suffered two injury setbacks and is yet to hit full form, but Slott should be happy with his options at right-back and the manager will be hoping that the team’s last two games on the spin will be a turning point in the season.
