By LEWIS BROWNING
Published: 04:37 EDT, 23 May 2025 | Updated: 04:41 EDT, 23 May 2025
Liverpool boss Arne Slot has fired criticism at Trent Alexander-Arnold ahead of the defender's final game for Liverpool.
The academy graduate will depart the Reds after 20 years at the club at the end of the season, joining Real Madrid in a free transfer that has left a number of Reds fans enraged.
While one fan was seen burning a shirt with the vice-captain's name on once he announced the news, a number of other Reds supporters booed loudly when Alexander-Arnold was introduced as a substitute against Arsenal.
Since, he remained on the bench against Brighton last week, and it remains unclear what role he will have to play in his final game as a Liverpool player this weekend before he leaves for Madrid.
The booing triggered a sour end to what had been a relatable relationship between the player and his side's fans, which now appears to have turned, with a number of other Liverpool players calling for supporters not to boo him
Now, though, his own manager has changed his tune, declaring that Alexander-Arnold sometimes struggled in training and needs to up his game defensively.
'He's going to leave anyway so why not, it might be the first gift I can give Xabi Alonso,' Slot said of the 26-year-old. 'I wasn't completely happy with every single minute he was on training ground.
'In my opinion there were certain moments he could do more, to put it mildly. I told him he's a much better defender than people think, but you don't show it all the time.'
More to follow.