Trent Alexander-Arnold returns to Liverpool tonight with both player and his boyhood club struggling to adapt after his emotional departure for Real Madrid.
Just meters from where the England defender will enter Anfield, there still stands a giant mural of him decked in red alongside the quote: “I'm just a normal lad from Liverpool whose dream has just come true.”
Alexander-Arnold's journey from supporter to two-time English Premier League winner and Champions League glory was a fairytale. But for much of the Liverpool support, his exit after running down his contract, meaning the club received only a nominal fee, soured his legacy.
Alexander-Arnold was even booed at times in the final few months of his Liverpool career, despite his contribution to the club's only two league titles since 1990.
A frosty reception is almost guaranteed should the 27-year-old defender feature for the first time as a visiting player at his former home.
Alexander-Arnold said he had “mixed emotions” over his return and that it was up to the fans how they react, adding that he will “always love the club.”
"No matter what, my feelings won't change towards Liverpool,” he said. “I've got memories there that will last me a lifetime and, no matter how I'm received, that won't change.”
The heightened emotions around the exit of the player Liverpool fans used to serenade as the “Scouser in our team” took the focus away from how much of a loss Alexander-Arnold would be on the field.
He was just one cog in a major summer overhaul of Arne Slot's squad, but is arguably the most missed of the band of players to leave in the transfer window. Slot has been forced to drop his best-performing midfielder, Dominik Szoboszlai, back to right-back as neither Conor Bradley nor Jeremie Frimpong have been able to fill the void left by Alexander-Arnold.
Although much criticized for his one-on-one defending, Alexander-Arnold was so sought after because of what he brought going forward. He departed as the defender with the most assists in Premier League history thanks both to his exquisite range of passing and precise set-piece delivery.
Mohamed Salah in particular has struggled to adjust without the service of his partner down the Liverpool right for the past eight seasons. A run of six defeats in eight games has highlighted just how much Alexander-Arnold is being missed.
Yet he is struggling to adapt to life at Madrid.
Alexander-Arnold has not featured for Madrid since suffering a hamstring injury in their Champions League opener against Marseille on September 16.
Since his return to fitness, and in the absence also of the injured Dani Carvajal, manager Xabi Alonso has preferred midfielder Federico Valverde at right-back.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
