Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk says he and his teammates will be there to help Trent Alexander-Arnold deal with the boos that were sent his way at Anfield against Arsenal this weekend — with Arne Slot’s side set to lose its number 66 this summer.
Six days before facing the Gunners, Alexander-Arnold made his decision to leave Liverpool in the summer public. It is, at this stage, an open secret that he will be joining Real Madrid, with Los Blancos having long sought a deal for his services.
Inside Anfield on Sunday, Alexander-Arnold was clapped by plenty of Liverpool fans. But it is the boos that ring the loudest, and his reception before, during and after the game was frosty in some quarters.
“I think the manager said it right in the press conference that you can’t decide how anyone feels about the decision he made for him and his family,” Van Dijk told reporters at the final whistle.
“The reaction happened. He has to deal with it. We as a team have to deal with that as well, by the way. But I think maybe he expected this. We have two more games and then we part ways and he will go somewhere else.
“It’s not easy, not at all. We’re here for him but I think the manager said it pretty well. You can’t decide how anyone’s feelings are based on this decision.
“He made his decision and he had peace with it. We all have to deal with it. We are gutted that he’s not here with us next year because he’s a fantastic player in my opinion.
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“He has outstanding, exceptional qualities that we have all been seeing over the last seven years I’ve been here. We’re definitely going to miss him when he’s gone but we’ve still got two games to go.”
Van Dijk and Mohamed Salah were both in the same contract position as Alexander-Arnold earlier this season, but the pair have both since put pen to paper on new deals. As evidenced by Cody Gakpo and Dominik Szoboszlai being among those to check on Alexander-Arnold at full-time, though, the Liverpool squad is still behind him.
“It’s football,” Van Dijk continued. “We all know how it works, how the players have to make decisions at times and do what they think is best for themselves and their families that they have.
“He made the decision for himself and he’s at peace with it. We have to deal with it. The club has to deal with it and I think in the past the club dealt with it in very good ways as well.
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“Like I said, we have two more games that he will have to play a part in as well. I’m sure he will because he’s a fantastic player, and then we’ll say goodbye to him.”
“Don’t ask me; I’m not the one who’s picking the team!” Van Dijk said when asked if it would be best to take Alexander-Arnold out of the firing line. “We want to win two more games and after the final whistle, including him, lift the trophy up and celebrate like we have never done before.
“Everyone has different opinions or different phases of their career so you can’t compare our situation — me and Mo in this case — with Trent. I was very happy to eventually come to an agreement with the club.
“Obviously it’s not really a Liverpool thing to go about it the way we did with me and Mo but, like I said when it was announced, I’m happy and proud to extend because for me there is no other place to be at this point.
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“Everyone shares different opinions and he feels like he has done it all — and he did it — and he wants to try something different. You are speaking about one of the biggest clubs of all in Real Madrid, who he might go to as I read in the media.
“The decision is made. We are all gutted, players as well, as he is a fantastic player and made so many decisive moments over the years and has been a great player in the squad.
“When the final whistle is there, we will miss him after that, but we still have two more games, the trophy lift and a parade, so there are plenty of moments we can share together. Then we will see what happens.”
Did Van Dijk attempt to convince Alexander-Arnold to stay? “I was sorting my own stuff out,” he said. “I had to secure my future as well and I was quite busy doing that. As club captain, I was trying to secure my future.
“There was a lot of noise saying I had decided months ago but that wasn’t the case. I think a month ago we came to an agreement before I signed so my focus was on playing the best football I can because that’s the least I can do and I want to do because I represent the club, I’m the captain, but also to secure my future.
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“I’m not the youngest anymore, I have a family to provide for, and I don’t want to be left in the dark. There were loads of other options, but Liverpool is the place for me.”
Losing Alexander-Arnold, of course, will make things more difficult for Liverpool. Finding a direct replacement for Alexander-Arnold will be impossible, so the Reds will have to source some creativity from elsewhere.
“I think it has to be a big summer and I trust the club and the people who make the decisions to do the right thing,” Van Dijk concluded. “As champions, it is a very difficult task to remain champions, but I feel with additions we can make that step up.
“We can have a proper pre-season, we can work on the things the manager wants us to do in ball possession and without ball possession, a lot of hard work will be done.
“It’s something to look forward to, it’s very exciting and it’s an exciting time to be associated with Liverpool. Let’s see what happens but I fully trust the decision-makers to do the right things.”
