Jamie Carragher claimed Trent Alexander-Arnold should not start again for Liverpool if he has told the club he is leaving this summer.
The right back, whose contract at Anfield expires at the end of the season, has been strongly linked with a move to Real Madrid, while new deals for Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk have only increased the spotlight on the 26-year-old.
Upon his return from injury on Sunday, Alexander-Arnold scored the winner for Liverpool as they edged past Leicester to win 1-0.
The Englishman’s deflected strike moved Arne Slot’s side to within one win of the Premier League title and condemned the Foxes to an immediate return to the Championship.
But Alexander-Arnold’s passionate reaction – in which he ripped off his shirt, darted for the travelling supporters and roared to the assembled masses – left many searching for answers.
And amid this uncertainty, Carragher argued that Alexander-Arnold should not start again for Liverpool this season if he has not explicitly communicated his long-term commitment to the club.
Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold is expected to join Real Madrid this summer as a free agent
Jamie Carragher said the right back shouldn’t start for Liverpool if he told the club he’s leaving
Virgil van Dijk and Mo Salah signed new deals but there is no sign of Alexander-Arnold doing so
‘If Trent hasn’t committed to the manager for next season, he shouldn’t be starting games,’ said Carragher.
Micah Richards then chimed in and asked, in light of everything Alexander-Arnold has achieved at Liverpool: ‘Not even for a send-off for what he’s done for the club?’
Carragher issued a cutting response and said: ‘Liverpool are not here as a football club to give someone a send-off.’
The Reds legend then explained that Slot should prioritise the development of young right back Conor Bradley.
The 21-year-old could do with some valuable experience before being chucked into the starting XI in place of Alexander-Arnold next season, assuming the latter leaves for Madrid.
Liverpool have all but engraved their name on the 2024-25 Premier League trophy, needing just one win from five to claim their 20th English top-flight title.
Barring a sensational capitulation, it is likely that the title will be wrapped up and that the stakes will be low in Liverpool’s last few games of the season.
Carragher argued that these matches should be used to observe whether the club need to go shopping for a new right back or whether Bradley can be their man going forward, rather than prioritising a romantic farewell for Alexander-Arnold.
Carragher went on to say that Liverpool should play Conor Bradley over Alexander-Arnold
The 21-year-old has played second fiddle to Alexander-Arnold for the past two seasons
Alexander-Arnold has made 350 appearances and won seven trophies with his boyhood club
Carragher continued: ‘It’s not about: “Let’s give Trent a send-off.” It’s about: “We need to assess whether Conor Bradley is the guy for us next season playing week in, week out.”
‘The decision Liverpool have is: “Does Conor Bradley become our first-choice right back and we buy a back-up player?” or “Are we buying a first-choice right back and Conor Bradley is going to have to battle with him?”
‘So that lad [Bradley] needs as much experience as he can get. So, yes, bring [Alexander-Arnold] on if you need to go and win the game.
‘But, in terms of starting games, if Trent hasn’t committed to the club, Conor Bradley should be starting every game.’
After scoring on Sunday, Alexander-Arnold performed an animated celebration in front of Liverpool’s away fans.
When asked whether anything can be read into the Merseyside native’s emotional reaction, Carragher said: ‘Not really.
‘He hasn’t really spoken all season about his future. Whether a decision has already been made, I think most people think it has.
‘It’s difficult for him to give an honest answer. The frustration with Liverpool fans is that, throughout the process with Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah, it was always under the remit they wanted to stay.
After scoring the winner in Liverpool’s game against Leicester on Sunday, the right back burst into a passionate celebration
‘That tells you everything with Trent, who’s a local boy. Most of us probably know what’s going to happen.’
Meanwhile, Alexander-Arnold remained coy on his future when asked about it after the game, as he has done so throughout the saga.
‘Look, I’ve said all season that I’m not going to speak on my situation,’ he told Sky Sports after his match-winning contribution. ‘I’m not going to go into any details but days like today are very special.
‘Scoring goals, playing, winning games, being in title races, they are special moments that will live with me forever and I’m glad to be a part of them.’
Last month, Mail Sport reported Madrid remain confident of signing Alexander-Arnold this summer on a free – with sources in Spain suggesting the move is ‘all set and done’.
Alexander-Arnold has been at Liverpool since joining their youth academy back in 2004. After breaking into the first-team in 2016, he has represented the Reds in 350 senior games and helped bring seven different pieces of silverware to Anfield.