Trent Alexander-Arnold is set to play his final Liverpool game this weekend before leaving the club in the summer and manager Arne Slot has spoken about the full-back
Liverpool manager Arne Slot has revealed there were moments in training sessions where Trent Alexander-Arnold’s efforts left him unhappy. Alexander-Arnold has confirmed he will leave Anfield at the end of the season, with Real Madrid set to announce his arrival in due course.
Slot – and some of the defender’s team-mates – have urged fans to give the England international after he was booed by sections of the crowd in the recent draw with Arsenal. However, he has also suggested there were times earlier in the campaign where he wanted more from Alexander-Arnold.
“I said a few things in pre-season why he was in my office at the beginning,” Slot told reporters on Friday. “He said it himself, he is going to leave either way, so why not say: I wasn’t completely happy with every single minute he was on the training ground, he could do a bit more.
“To say it mildly and that is what we talked about. I said to him you are a much better defender than everyone tells you and you don’t show it all the time, this is a part of your game you need to improve but if you are at it and concentrated, not a lot can get around him.
“It is about showing that every game. It is not the 34 games we play well, we are judged on the 4 we don’t. So we spoke about that.”
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Slot also addressed the reception Alexander-Arnold might receive in his farewell game for his boyhood club. In addition to it being a goodbye for the full-back, it will be a celebration of the Reds’ title win – something all the players have contributed to.
“All have worked so hard, not only this season, but throughout their careers to achieve something like this,” the manager said. “They did this for themselves, but partly also driven by our fans.
“It would be fantastic, if it’s only going to be a positive moment for everyone at the club, and Trent is part of that. I hope I can influence them, but they have their own opinion as well.”
Alexander-Arnold’s team-mate and Premier League top scorer Mohamed Salah has called out those who booed the right-back. ” The fans have been harsh with him. He didn’t deserve that because he gave it all to the fans,” he told Sky Sports.
“We always appreciate the people who came here, even if it was for six months. Imagine someone who gave his all for 20 years. It shouldn’t be like this and I hope it will change in the next game – Brighton or the last game of the season – because he deserves the best farewell leaving the club. He has done a lot for the city and a lot for the club.”
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