Jamie Carragher, a former Liverpool defender, expressed disappointment with Trent Alexander-Arnold’s performance during the Reds’ 2-2 draw with Manchester United on Sunday, Soccernet,football reports.
United’s opening goal at Anfield was attributed to poor defending by Alexander-Arnold, who also struggled to impact the game while in possession. The England international occasionally drew criticism from Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk during the match.
Speculation about Alexander-Arnold’s future has intensified, with strong links to a free transfer to La Liga at the end of the season. Last week, reports surfaced that Real Madrid had submitted a £20 million bid to secure the player this month.
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Carragher argues that the reports of a transfer bid from the La Liga champions affected Alexander-Arnold’s performance against the Red Devils, citing the 24-year-old’s display as evidence.
“I thought he was really poor. The game couldn’t have gone much worse for him, there was always going to be focus on him,” Carragher said.
“I was expecting him to put in a performance he has put in so often where he dominates the game from right-back. He’s a playmaker. I felt Manchester United’s system would play into his hands, there’d be a lot of space to get his head up and put crosses in.
“I thought he’d be thinking about how everyone’s talking about him negatively, and that he’d put in a really big performance. He was poor defensively, but there was nothing going forward on the ball.
“Only he knows if the talk affected him, but the fact he was so poor in the first game after Real Madrid put a bid in tells me it must have affected him.
“Why do Trent Alexander-Arnold’s people think it’s a good idea for him, knowing Liverpool are going to say no?
“He’s getting criticism that he might leave for free. If Real Madrid put a bid in in January and Liverpool don’t accept, maybe they can say, ‘Well you were offered £30m to £40m’.”
