Former Liverpool striker Michael Owen has warned Trent Alexander-Arnold that he could "run the risk" of losing control of the destiny of his career if he is to depart Anfield next summer.
The Reds right-back has been a mainstay during the infancy of Arne Slot's reign on Merseyside - playing 19 times this term to help catapult his side to the top of the the Premier League and Champions League standings. However, speculation over his long-term future refuses to go away, with his contract set to expire at the end of the current campaign.
As things stand, Alexander-Arnold will be allowed to leave his boyhood club for nothing in seven months' time if he fails to sign a contract extension. According to the Athletic, an offer has been made to the Reds academy graduate's representatives with talks over a potential new deal underway.
However, the fact remains that the full-back will be within his rights to speak with foreign clubs over a pre-contract agreement from Jan. 1. With fellow key men Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk also in identical situations, it remains to be seen whether Liverpool chiefs can convince all three stars to renew their terms.
Amid the uncertainty over his future, rumors have abounded that Real Madrid could be interested in securing Alexander-Arnold's services. Now, former Kop hero Owen has admitted that he fears Alexander-Arnold could potentially risk upsetting the trajectory of his career if he is to depart next year.
In an exclusive interview with Liverpool.com, arranged by AceOdds, the pundit confessed that he is fearful that any hypothetical decision to depart Anfield could come back to haunt the defender. He said: "It definitely runs the risk. If you had said to me when I was 23 that I might retire from football and feel the way I do now, then I wouldn't have believed you."
Michael Owen, who played for Real Madrid for a year during his career, has provided some insight into Trent Alexander-Arnold's situation
Michael Owen, who played for Real Madrid for a year during his career, has provided some insight into Trent Alexander-Arnold's situation (Image: Denis Doyle/Getty Images)
Owen is well-placed to offer his perspective on Alexander-Arnold's potential situation, having left Liverpool for Real Madrid back in 2004. Despite his own attempts to return to Anfield in the years that followed, he was unable to do so - instead turning out for Newcastle United, Manchester United and Stoke City before hanging up his boots in 2013.
Speaking about his own experiences over two decades on from his Anfield exit, the former England forward continued: "I couldn't have been so happy and so in love, loyal, and everything else to a club, but things do change.
"As I say, you can lose control, and once you move once, it's almost then you're out there on the open market and it can be a strange feeling and a strange place to be when you're not where you feel like you belong, where you grew up, where your loved, and where you're just ingrained into the fabric of the club. Which is exactly where I was at that point."
Former Anfield hero Michael Owen has issued some words of wisdom to Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold
Former Anfield hero Michael Owen has issued some words of wisdom to Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold (Image: James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images)
Issuing some words of advice to Alexander-Arnold as speculation surrounding a potential move to Real Madrid abounds, Owen asserted that the full-back may not have things all his own way if he wishes to return to Liverpool at a later date. He said: "So absolutely you run the risk of losing a little bit of control. You almost start again; you have to prove yourself again and all the rest of it.
"Then when you're 30 and if you're not playing as well and you've then got to move from Real Madrid and you're desperate to move back home but Liverpool have got a new right-back, you've then got to move to another club and it's 'Oh my word, I didn't, ever envisage that'."
Owen added: "[The] 'I only wanted to play for Liverpool in England' type of attitude goes. You definitely lose control. It might not happen to him. He might always be in control. He might be that good and stay at his top level for that long that he's always in control of things, but that's definitely a possibility if he chooses to leave. That will be one of the things he's got to weigh up."