Liverpool legend John Aldridge has admitted that it “hurt” him to hear boos from Reds supporters at Anfield targeted at outbound defender Trent Alexander-Arnold.
The right-back was subjected to a mixed reception from Kopites after he was introduced from the bench in a 2-2 draw against Arsenal at the weekend. Brought on to replace presumed successor Conor Bradley, he was on the receiving end of jeers from a section of fans – with the actions of those responsible since condemned by Sky Sports’ Jamie Carragher.
Meanwhile, Alexander-Arnold’s long-term teammate Andy Robertson expressed sympathy for his colleague, who is expected to join Real Madrid this summer as a free agent. Since then, manager Arne Slot and captain Virgil van Dijk have also waded into the debate over the boos from supporters as the discourse continues to divide the fanbase.
Now, Anfield hero Aldridge has given his verdict on the jeers from fans towards the No. 66, as he condemned the fans involved. Having watched the game alongside fellow legend Ian Callaghan, the retired striker admitted that he was left feeling “uneasy” by what he had witnessed inside the stadium.
He wrote in his column for the Liverpool Echo: “But listening to the noise as a lad from West Derby came on the pitch hurt me. I have been going to Anfield over 60 years and I have never seen or heard anything like that before. I felt sick.
“Us former players, we always stick together, and watching it with the great Ian Callaghan, we felt the same watching on as the boos swept across the stadium every time Trent touched the football. It left me feeling uneasy.
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Ultimately, Aldridge asserts that the boos simply served no purpose, with the tense atmosphere after Alexander-Arnold’s introduction having simply galvanized Arsenal in the second half. The Gunners eventually scored an equalizer through Mikel Moreno to earn a share of the points in L4 following the interval.
He continued: “Liverpool is a family and I respect everyone’s views who loves the club but the booing did no good for anyone. All it did was help Arsenal get back into a game they should have had no hope in. The visiting fans will have loved it all, sadly.”
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The ex-Republic of Ireland international, who also departed Liverpool for Spain during his career – moving to Real Sociedad – has previously spoken of his heartbreak after leaving the club he supported as a boy. While Aldridge’s situation is different to Alexander-Arnold’s in that he was not eager to leave, he does feel that the player has been ill-advised in how he has gone about his own move.
Moreover, the Kop great also questioned the decision to bring the right-back onto the pitch in the second half, given the stregnth pf feeling on the issue among supporters currently. He contended: “Should he have been in that situation to begin with?
“The timing of his announcement last Monday that he will be leaving when his contract expires wasn’t particularly great and I have to say, whoever advised him to do that before the season has ended has not read the room at all on this. That, frankly, was a stupid piece of advice that Trent has listened to there.
He added: “I’ve never known such a reaction for any player at Liverpool and people are always going to have their strong opinions when a local player leaves the club on a free transfer. Is Trent’s decision a slight on the club itself?
“Or is he just looking to try something different? Either way the backlash has been fierce and Sunday was unlike anything I have ever known at that football ground.”
