Alexander-Arnold can no longer remain silent on Real Madrid links

Rightly or wrongly, the noise over the vice-captain's future is now being perceived to be affecting his form, and only he can end it.

Photo: IMAGO | Anfield Index

It might be comforting for some Liverpool fans to lay the blame for a disappointing 2-2 draw with Manchester United solely at the feet of Trent Alexander-Arnold.

But in reality, too many were culpable for the sloppy, lethargic performance that led to the Premier League leaders deservedly dropping points against the 13th-best side the division has to offer on Sunday.

That said, it is also hard to ignore that, of the three players in the squad who find themselves in a famously precarious position with their contracts, only one was eye-catchingly poor in the biggest game of the league season.

And crucially, it was the man who has done the least to publicly assure fans that he wishes to remain at Anfield beyond the end of the campaign.

Even for someone whose gait would best be described as laid back, Alexander-Arnold’s work around the first goal left a lot to be desired in terms of intensity, and he backed that up by winning no duels in five attempts and failing to make a single tackle across the 90 minutes.

No wonder, then, that the Liverpool captain, Virgil van Dijk, spent many a break in play laying into his right-back.

What’s more, Alexander-Arnold also failed - rather uncharacteristically - to atone going forward, creating just a single chance and failing with each of his six crosses into the box.

If it feels unfair to point all this out when few others covered themselves in glory on Sunday, then it must be said that Trent’s efforts were only so shocking because of the world-class level he has consistently shown previously.

And it is the rare nature of this shoddy performance that led to supporters inevitably making a link with the ongoing uncertainty over his future.

Having been a feature on social media for months, Sunday was the first time that suggestions the defender has had his head turned by Real Madrid were openly and angrily heard from the Anfield crowd.

And that sentiment will hardly have been quashed by Conor Bradley coming on to win three out of three duels all while looking like a player whose desire to be at the club could not be questioned, either.

Of course, Alexander-Arnold deserves praise for his commitment to contract talks not being played out in public, as has been the case for every other extension he has signed.

Yet when Real Madrid are launching audacious bids all while using the Spanish media to ramp up pressure on Liverpool, then this admirable stance starts to look naive.

For their part, key Anfield figures insist they have yet to be informed by the player of any desire to depart, and they remain hopeful that current talks will end in an extension.

But the vagueness of the reporting around the topic makes clear that Alexander-Arnold is, at the very least, keeping his options open for the time being.

Previously, that stance made total sense, allowing as it did for Trent to both leverage Real Madrid’s interest during talks with Liverpool while leaving the path to a life-changing experience in Spain open.

In fact, cynics might point out that this is exactly the position the 26-year-old hoped to be in when he signed a four-year deal in 2021, rather than the longer contract his club would no doubt have pushed for.

However, whether it is actually the case or not, the perception that this uncertainty is affecting Alexander-Arnold’s performances now exists, with even match-going fans beginning to question his allegiance.

Liverpool remain adamant they won’t sell this month, but the noise is only likely to get louder as the January window progresses, and it is unthinkable this situation will be allowed to continue beyond then.

As such, whether he wishes to or not, surely now is the time for Alexander-Arnold to provide some clarity, even if it is news supporters won’t want to hear.