Trent Alexander-Arnold was booed by sections of the Liverpool crowd during Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Arsenal, a response teammate Andrew Robertson called “not nice” after the defender’s first appearance since announcing his end-of-season departure.
The Liverpool right back confirmed Monday he will leave the club this summer, with Real Madrid widely expected to be his next destination.
Making his first appearance at Anfield since the announcement, the 26-year-old England international—subbed on in the 67th minute—was met with a mix of boos and cheers from fans still processing the exit of a local hero who helped deliver two Premier League titles and a Champions League crown.
He was booed several times while in possession during the second half as Arsenal fought back from two goals down, despite finishing with 10 men after Mikel Merino’s late dismissal.
Liverpool manager Arne Slot said before the game he would not tell supporters how to react to the player’s announcement.
Slot left Alexander-Arnold out of his starting lineup, opting instead for 21-year-old Conor Bradley.
The highly rated Northern Irishman is viewed as the natural successor to Alexander-Arnold, and the crowd sang his name during the game.
“There’s a lot of emotion around it,” Robertson said of the reaction to Alexander-Arnold.
“For Trent, it’s not been an easy one. Of course it’s not. But he’s made the decision.
“It’s not nice to see a friend get booed, it wasn’t nice. But as I said, we can’t tell people how to act.
“I can’t tell you how I feel about it, I’m extremely proud of him. I love him as a player, I love him as a friend. He will be missed as one of my best friends in the game.”
Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher was also unhappy with the reaction of Reds fans.
“That’s the story of the game. That’s what we will be talking about after the game, and the back pages of every newspaper tomorrow,” he said.
“I’m surprised how many. When you’re in a crowd of 60,000, there’s no doubt there’s a lot of unhappy people at Liverpool about the situation, and I’ve said that’s understandable.
“But for me, I don’t believe that any player putting that red shirt on, going out to play for the club and trying to win them points or win them trophies, should be booed.
“I understand there’s a lot of ill feeling, and some people outside of Liverpool won’t be able to understand that. I do.
“But booing one of your own players while they are playing is not for me.”