After Real Madrid agreed to a deal that effectively made Liverpool $13 million (£10 million), Trent Alexander-Arnold could make his debut for the La Liga giant next Wednesday, against Al Hilal in the Club World Cup.
Ahead of that tournament, he was unveiled at a press conference on Thursday, where Alexander-Arnold spoke about a variety of things: how hard it was to leave Liverpool, why Jude Bellingham didn't need to sell the idea of Real Madrid to him, and how much he is looking forward to playing under Xabi Alonso.
In the Club World Cup in the US, a competition that no one really knows what to expect or how seriously it will be taken, it will feel odd to see the Liverpool academy graduate and local lad turning out in white.
The reaction from some Liverpool fans has been strange, however. Alexander-Arnold remains in the conversation for being the best right-back in the world — alongside the likes of Achraf Hakimi — and it is pointless arguing otherwise.
At the same time, though, he has moved on. Alexander-Arnold's mind is made up: the unveiling of him at the Bernabeu makes it feel a little more real, but Liverpool will be absolutely fine in his absence regardless.
Whether you can tolerate his decision or still hate the fact that he will soon be turning out for Real Madrid, Alexander-Arnold — or just 'Trent' as he now wants to be known — has made his bed. Now he has to lie in it.
Trent Alexander-Arnold is now a Real Madrid player.
Trent Alexander-Arnold is now a Real Madrid player. (Image: Diego Souto/Getty Images)
The 26-year-old's legacy at Anfield has changed forever and there is no going back. But while Liverpool did everything to convince him that he should stay with his boyhood side, the Reds couldn't offer him the one thing he wanted: a fresh challenge.
Whether Alexander-Arnold has been learning Spanish for months or not, it is undoubtedly impressive that he opted to do part of his unveiling in a second language. It was a wise move, too, to get an unforgiving audience onside early.
But while it will be impossible to completely ignore what Alexander-Arnold does at the Bernabeu, Liverpool doesn't have any need to spend time hating. However he fares, it will be irrelevant to Arne Slot.
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That Alexander-Arnold left for a minimal fee — not a free transfer, in the end, but nothing game-changing — was a cause of angst for some. But Liverpool is splashing the cash regardless; it evidently hasn't dented the summer coffers.
On the field, with Florian Wirtz arriving from Bayer Leverkusen in one of the world's biggest ever deals and Liverpool now having Jeremie Frimpong and Conor Bradley as right-back options, Slot will be fine without Alexander-Arnold's creativity too.
Losing the number 66 was far from ideal, but Liverpool has lost bigger and more important players in the past. After what is shaping up to be a big summer, the Premier League champion will be well set up to go again.
While for some, energy is still being spent on berating the decision that Alexander-Arnold has made, there isn't really any point. The main thing for Liverpool is that the plan for what happens without him has been coming together nicely for some time.