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Liverpool manager Arne Slot has praised Trent Alexander-Arnold for changing his Anfield fortunes with an outstanding goal as captain in Saturday’s 4-0 FA Cup win against Accrington.
A week after Alexander-Arnold was heavily criticised for a poor display against Manchester United amidst links to Real Madrid, the defender got a good reception from The Kop and struck a beauty from 20 yards to put his side 2-0 ahead.
Slot said: ‘I could talk for hours about that goal. Unbelievable.
‘Every player around the world, maybe except for a few, has a bad game and that is completely normal. But the moment Trent has one, everyone has an opinion about it.
‘Maybe, maybe that is because of the contract situation. I don’t know if that wasn’t there if people would have reacted in the same way.
‘Many of them were quite hard on him.’
Alexander-Arnold, a local boy who has come through the Liverpool academy, is out of contract in the summer. Real Madrid are interested and have had a £20million offer this month rejected by Liverpool.’
He faced League Two Accy because the club’s only other senior right-back Connor Bradley is easing his way back from a hamstring injury.
‘I think it was good for Trent to play in our own stadium and feel the reception of the fans again.
‘It was special and can only help him and us.
‘If you want to do special things this season, you can do that together, not only the players, the manager but definitely with the fans.’
Alexander-Arnold also sought out Accrington manager John Doolan who coached him as a six-year-old at the Liverpool academy.
‘I said before the game that I had coached Trent when he was six or seven and I don’t know whether he remembers it,’ said Doolan.
‘Diane his mum probably would remember as she used to bring him to the training sessions.
At the end of the game I didn’t see Trent. I walked across to our fans and he turned up behind me in flip-flops and a big coat and just said “I remember”.
‘Then we just started chatting like I’d only been talking to him last week.
‘He is such a wonderful and humble guy. He is a top, top player. To do that shows the class that he has.’
