Alonso Tells Alexander-arnold To ‘enjoy’ Liverpool Return No Matter How Fans React

Xabi Alonso has told Trent Alexander-Arnold to bask his “nice” return to Liverpool arsenic nan Real Madrid defender prepares to look his boyhood nine for nan first clip since his acrimonious summertime departure.

Alexander-Arnold is apt to person a dispute reception astatine Anfield aft he angered Liverpool fans by leaving astatine nan extremity of his contract past season. The England world would person exited connected a free transportation but for Real paying an £8.5m interest to cancel his Liverpool statement early and see him successful their squad for nan Club World Cup.

The 27-year-old was portion of a Real delegation that laid floral tributes to Diogo Jota and his relative André Silva extracurricular Anfield connected Monday night. The caput coach and erstwhile Liverpool midfielder Alonso, nan defender Dean Huijsen and Real’s head of organization relations, Emilio Butragueño, were besides present. Alexander-Arnold laid his ain floral tribute, pinch a connection that read: “My mate Diogo, you are truthful missed but still truthful loved. Yours and André’s memories will ever unrecorded on. I grin each clip I deliberation astir you and will ever retrieve nan awesome times we shared. Miss you mate each day. Love Trent and family.”

Alonso is guaranteed a lukewarm reception from nan Anfield crowd having graced Liverpool’s midfield betwixt 2004 and 2009. He believes Alexander-Arnold should relish facing his boyhood team, if selected. “We haven’t spoken astir that precisely [the reception that awaits Alexander-Arnold] but we person spoken astir nan squad and nan club,” nan Real caput coach said.

“He has to person his ain feelings and bask it his ain way. So I americium not going to opportunity really he needs to consciousness it. For judge his history is different from mine, he was calved and bred successful Liverpool. I retrieve him from a young property successful nan academy and past coming to nan first squad and winning nan Champions League. So he needs to bask nan infinitesimal because it is bully to beryllium backmost and for him it is going to beryllium nice.”

A tribute to Liverpool’s Diogo Jota near extracurricular Anfield by Trent Alexander-Arnold of Real Madrid. Photograph: Adam Vaughan/EPA

The erstwhile Liverpool defender’s move to Real has not gone to scheme connected nan transportation having sustained a hamstring wounded connected his Champions League debut for nan club against Marseille connected 16 September. He has not played since and has been an unused substitute successful Real’s past 2 games.

But Alonso said: “He is good. He didn’t play [against Valencia connected Saturday] because of nan discourse of nan crippled but he is disposable for immoderate number of minutes. Tomorrow he whitethorn play and aft nan wounded he had we request his qualities; he has awesome qualities. He is successful a caller shape for him – sporting, physically and mentally. We request to springiness him what he needs because he is an exceptional subordinate that we person successful our squad.”

The Liverpool caput coach, Arne Slot, promised Alexander-Arnold a lukewarm reception, but was unsure really nan right-back would beryllium received by nan location crowd. Slot said: “I tin only show you what benignant of reception he gets from me; I person awesome memories of nan subordinate and nan quality being.

“He was my vice-captain past play and I person memories of moving pinch him which were only affirmative and person memories from watching him connected tv which were only affirmative arsenic good – I tin retrieve aggregate awesome moments of his successful a Liverpool shirt. He will get a lukewarm invited from me. Let’s first hold and spot if he is connected nan transportation tomorrow. How nan fans respond I person nary hint but he gets a lukewarm invited from me, that’s for sure.”