ALEXANDER-ARNOLD ABSENT Liverpool's English defender Trent Alexander-Arnold (L) vies with Manchester United's Portuguese defender Diogo Dalot (R) during the English Premier League football match between Liverpool and Manchester United at Anfield in Liverpool, north west England on January 5, 2025. (Photo by Darren Staples / AFP
Image: Darren Staples / AFP
Following Liverpool’s shock 2-2 Premier League draw with Manchester United on Sunday, the performance of Reds midfielder Trent Alexander-Arnold has come under the microscope.
Ahead of the match at Anfield, rumours had swirled that Real Madrid had put in a low offer for the 26-year-old in the January transfer window.
During the match against United, Alexander-Arnold was notably poor and after the contest ended in a draw his performance was a hot topic of discussion.
Speaking on SkySports, Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher were caught in a fierce debate over Arnold at the timing of the offer from Madrid.
“They will have known what was happening,’ said Carragher, referring to Alexander-Arnold’s camp.
“I’m not naive enough to think that Real Madrid would have put a bid in in January, for a player who they can get for nothing in four months.”
Neville responded: “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.
“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.”
Carragher, who spent 17 years with Liverpool without winning a single league title, said if he was in the position of Alexander-Arnold, there’s no way he’d leave the club.
“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,” said Carragher.
“It's more just disappointment. I would love to have been playing for the best team in the league.”