Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold will leave the club at the end of his contract
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Virgil van Dijk.
Virgil van Dijk prepared a speech for departing Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold.
(Image: Photo by Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk expressed his gratitude to the departing Trent Alexander-Arnold. The Reds academy graduate will bid farewell to the Premier League champions following their encounter against Crystal Palace, with his contract expiring at the end of the season.
It is expected that the 26-year-old will join Real Madrid after rejecting contract offers from Liverpool. During their final preparations for the Premier League showdown against Crystal Palace, Alexander-Arnold was presented with a commemorative shirt and addressed his soon-to-be former teammates.
The Liverpool defender has been in the headlines since announcing his exit in light of clinching their top-flight crown against Tottenham Hotspur at the end of October.
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There was high spirits at AXA Training Centre on Friday with Liverpool players enjoying their final session of the campaign.
Before the players went through their paces, they gathered around to bid farewell to Alexander-Arnold with Van Dijk breaking into a brief speech.
"Alright Trent, we all know that this day was coming of course and us, I speak for everyone here, we would like to thank you for everything that you've done in your time at Liverpool, the successes that we had, the good moments on and off the pitch," he said.
"We are all definitely going to miss you, you're an outstanding player, very good human being, we wish you well.
"Listen, thank you from the bottom of our hearts for what you've done here, all the best."
Following his reception against Arsenal, where he was subjected to boos by a section of the Anfield faithful, as a result of his announcement.
The topic has been divisive surrounding the Reds over whether he should feature again and some suggestions over whether he should be around the Premier League trophy celebrations after Crystal Palace on Sunday or the parade on Monday.
Jurgen Klopp reignited the debate with his comments during a LFC Foundation gala event on Friday, which came hours after a insight into the training ground from Arne Slot.
"I talk to most players, not on a daily basis, but a lot," Slot said. "If there are circumstances why I should talk to them, you talk a bit more often to them. It's clear with Trent's situation that those circumstances are there for me to talk to him.
"I am talking to him as a human being.
"That, combined with winning something together, creates a different bond to the one the fans have with him.
"When we started pre-season, he was in my office quite a lot as well for similar reasons to what Mo has said previously.
"He is going to leave either way so why not say it? Maybe it is a first gift I can give to Xabi Alonso!
"I wasn't completely happy with every minute of how he was on the training ground.
"In certain moments, I felt he could do a bit more, to say it mildly. That is what we talked about.
"I told him, 'you are a much better defender than people tell you, but you don't show it all the time.'
"I said, 'if you are at it and concentrated, there are not many players who can go around you'.
"Because he is fast, agile, has a great mentality but it is about showing that every single game."