Insinuating that Trent Alexander-Arnold will depart Liverpool this summer, Sir Kenny Dalglish has urged fans to respect his choice should he decide to move on. With his contract expiring, the Reds vice-captain is anticipated to sign a free transfer to Real Madrid.
When the England international made his injury comeback against Leicester City earlier this month, some fans jeered him at first, but that outcry was swiftly forgotten as he scored the game-winning goal to put Liverpool on the verge of winning the championship.
After helping the Reds defeat Tottenham Hotspur 5-1 on Sunday to win the Premier League, Alexander-Arnold received a hero’s reception from the crowd during the post-game festivities.
The Liverpool legend, who also serves as a non-executive director at the club, paid tribute to Alexander-Arnold by pointing out that it’s uncommon for players to remain at one club for the duration of their careers, even though he was happy to see Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah both extend their contracts with the team.
“Movement within football clubs, players moving about is just part of the game,” he said. “And the longer you can keep the better ones, the better chance we have of being successful.
“That’s what they’ve done there with the two boys (Van Dijk and Salah). The fans are delighted they’ve signed.
“And we’ve got to be grateful also for the service that Trent gave to the football club.
“If his choice is to move on, then Trent, thanks very much for everything you’ve done for us. We wish you well for the future because he has made a contribution to the football club.
“I only got to Liverpool through them buying me from Celtic so you’ve got to accept that transfers are part and parcel of it.
“It’s a compliment to people. If somebody gets moved on that hasn’t done so well, they don’t get mentioned, do they?
“So the people that have done really well are the ones who people say, ‘Well why do they want to move?’ Most people move!
“It’s very seldom now that you get one person who stays at one club for the length of his career.”
Meanwhile, Dalglish also singled out five unsung heroes in Liverpool’s squad for special praise after seeing the Reds win the Premier League title.
“Endo, Endo was coming on at the end of some games and just closing the door,” he said. “Everybody that was in the squad, I think they earned the place to be there.
“The young players like Curtis (Jones) – went in against Everton, played right-back and did very well. Harvey Elliott did really well when he was given the opportunities to play.
“(Conor) Bradley did really well at right-back when he had to fill in. I think the youngsters played a part in it as well.
“I think everybody’s obviously played a part – (Caoimhin) Kelleher coming in, stepping in when he had to and did fantastic. I think he’s a really good goalkeeper, so everybody made a contribution.”