Liverpool manager Arne Slot waxed lyrical about Trent Alexander-Arnold after his stunning goal helped knock out Accrington Stanley in the FA Cup third round.
Alexander-Arnold, whose contract expires in the summer, is the leader transfer target for Real Madrid, was heavily criticized for his performance in the Liverpool drew 2-2 against Manchester Unitedand many believe that speculation about his future affected his state of mind.
But there were no such worries for Alexander-Arnold against League Two Accrington, who battled bravely at Anfield ahead of the quality Premier League the leaders shone.
Diogo Jota broke the deadlock for Liverpool after a quick break, and the game was all but over with Alexander-Arnold’s towering long-range goal moments before the half-time break.
“I could talk about that goal for hours,” Slot remarked of Alexander-Arnold’s strike. “The biggest compliment Trent could get was everyone’s reaction [on Saturday] after the Manchester United game.
“Every player around the world, maybe apart from a few, has a bad game and that’s perfectly normal. But the moment Trent has it, everyone has an opinion about it.
“Maybe it’s because of the contract situation. If it wasn’t for that, I don’t know if people would have reacted the same way. A lot of them were pretty harsh on him.”
“I think it was good for Trent to play in our stadium and feel the reception of the fans again,” added Slot. “It was special and it can only help him and us.
“If you want to do special things this season, you can do it together, not only with the players, the manager, but definitely with the fans.
Real Madrid already seen one approach for Alexander-Arnold hit back Liverpool, with the Merseyside club still hoping their academy graduate will put pen to paper on a new long-term deal.
Alexander-Arnold expressed his desire to win Golden ballhowever, the odds of getting that individual accolade are usually enhanced by playing for a more famous club like Madrid, who have 15 European Cups/Champions League crowns to his name compared to Liverpool’s six.
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