Liverpool 2-2 Man Utd: Trent Alexander-Arnold performance affected by Real Madrid links, says Jamie Carragher
Trent Alexander-Arnold's Liverpool future was cast into doubt this week after a supposed bid from Real Madrid; the full-back's contract expires this summer; his underwhelming performance against Manchester United drew criticism from Jamie Carragher and Roy Keane
Monday 6 January 2025 12:55, UK
Trent Alexander-Arnold's shaky performance against Manchester United was affected by suggestions of a recent bid from Real Madrid, says Jamie Carragher.
The Liverpool right-back, having been heavily linked with Real this week, had a game to forget as United frustrated the Premier League leaders with a battling 2-2 display at Anfield on Super Sunday.
Alexander-Arnold, now in the final six months of his contract at his boyhood club, struggled to impose himself and was at fault for the visitors' first goal.
"I thought he was really poor," said Carragher. "The game couldn't have gone much worse for him, there was always going to be focus on him.
"I was expecting him to put in a performance he has put in so often where he dominates the game from right-back. He's a playmaker. I felt Manchester United's system would play into his hands, there'd be a lot of space to get his head up and put crosses in.
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"I thought he'd be thinking about how everyone's talking about him negatively, and that he'd put in a really big performance. He was poor defensively, but there was nothing going forward on the ball.
"Only he knows if the talk affected him, but the fact he was so poor in the first game after Real Madrid put a bid in tells me it must have affected him.
"They will have known what was happening," continued Carragher, referring to Alexander-Arnold's representatives.
"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.
"Do you seriously believe, when this bid comes in that they're sat at home and see it on Sky Sports and say 'wow!' Of course they do."
Alexander-Arnold was eventually substituted - replaced by deputy right-back Conor Bradley - in the closing stages of the game and Gary Neville questioned whether what he called an "insulting" bid from Real had played its part.
"I think the bid from Real Madrid is bad timing for him," Neville said.
"I don't know what's going to happen, whether he's going to leave Liverpool and go to Real Madrid or whether he's not, but if you've got that going into a big game, you're a local lad as well, that won't be easy, the distractions of having all that noise.
"Real Madrid are a hell of an animal. I thought it was insulting, to be fair, from Real Madrid. They behave like that sometimes, they think they can get what they want.
"Liverpool are a football club of immense stature. They're never going to sell Trent Alexander-Arnold for £20m in January so you're taking the mickey a little bit. I think that will have probably unnerved him this week.
"Some lads see Liverpool and Manchester United as part of their career. It's brilliant and they love it but they want to explore.
"When I look at Trent, he looks like a lad that wants to go and explore Real Madrid. He wants to go and play in different parts of the world.
Neville continued: "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. Jamie thinks Trent's people invited the bid from Real Madrid, I think that's a big suggestion personally."
Addressing his co-pundit, Neville asked: "Why do Trent Alexander-Arnold's people think it's a good idea for him knowing Liverpool are going to say no?"
Carragher defended his claim, responding: "Because he's getting criticism that he might leave for free now if Real Madrid put a bid in in January and Liverpool don't accept, maybe they can say, 'well you were offered £30m to £40m', for me it was to buy a little bit of time if he goes for free, they can say Liverpool were offered £20m, £30m to £40m."
Slot backs TAA but accepts others will blame Madrid link
Arne Slot conceded people will think Alexander-Arnold's performance was affected by rumours surrounding his future.
The Liverpool manager does not believe the speculation had a big impact, but accepts other people will view the matter differently.
The Dutchman said: "I think nine out of 10 people will tell you that it affected him. I'm (the) one of the 10 that tells you that I don't think that affected him.
"What affected him is that he had to play against Bruno Fernandes and Diogo Dalot, two starters for Portugal, great, great players.
"If these players set themselves to a game - and that is what United once in a while does - then it's very difficult to play against them.
"I think that is more difficult for Trent to play against than the rumours that were there during the week.
"But that's my opinion, and probably everybody's going to tell you that it had to do with the rumours."
Trent for Tranmere?
Roy Keane suggested Alexander-Arnold should be moving to Tranmere rather than Real Madrid after criticising his "schoolboy defending" against Manchester United.
Analysing chances for Amad Diallo and Rasmus Hojlund following questionable defending, Keane said: "It's too easy. We talk about how brilliant Trent is going forward, but Trent's defending today - my goodness, it's like schoolboy stuff.
"There's talk about him going to Real Madrid, the way he's defending he's going to Tranmere Rovers after this. He's got to do better."
Sturridge: It's a lose, lose either way for Trent
Former team-mate Daniel Sturridge displayed a degree of empathy for the under-fire full-back, however, believing the club has put him in a difficult position with his supporters with just six months remaining on his contract.
"He's a professional guy," Sturridge 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."
"If he leaves with 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.
"What could derail it is if he defends like that for the rest of the season. You've got to defend better."
