In a spirited defense of his teammate, Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has dismissed suggestions that transfer speculation affected Trent Alexander-Arnold's performance in Sunday's 2-2 Premier League draw with Manchester United at Anfield.
The 26-year-old right-back endured a challenging afternoon, including a costly turnover that led to United's opening goal, before being replaced by Conor Bradley in the 86th minute. The performance came as reports surfaced that Liverpool had rejected an approach from Real Madrid for a January transfer.
When pressed about the impact of transfer rumors on Alexander-Arnold's display, van Dijk remained steadfast. "No. I am fine with it," the Dutch defender stated. "Trent has his own people around him, his family and we are there as well. He wants to perform in the best way possible like we all do. That is the main focus."
The situation is particularly delicate as Alexander-Arnold's contract expires this summer, along with those of van Dijk and Mohamed Salah. Van Dijk, who previously acknowledged the beginning of his own contract extension talks in October, provided no updates after the United match, while Salah has recently expressed concerns about his negotiations, noting "we are far away from any progress."
Liverpool manager Arne Slot offered an alternative view of Alexander-Arnold's performance, pointing to the quality of opposition rather than transfer speculation. "I think nine out of 10 people will tell you it [speculation] affected him, but I am one of the 10 that tells you I don't think that affected him," Slot explained.
"What affected him was that he had to play Bruno Fernandes and Diogo Dalot, who are two starters for Portugal. That is more difficult for Trent to play against Bruno Fernandes and Diogo Dalot than the rumours there were during the week," he added.
Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane delivered a characteristically brutal assessment on Sky Sports: "There's talk about him going to Real Madrid - the way he's defending he's going to Tranmere Rovers after this. He's got to do better."
Despite the ongoing speculation, Slot maintains that Alexander-Arnold remains "fully committed" to Liverpool, with the player appearing in a social media post alongside fellow contract-uncertain stars Salah and van Dijk during Sunday's match at Anfield.
