Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher believes Trent Alexander-Arnold should be aiming to cement a legacy at Anfield, rather than join Real Madrid.
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Alexander-Arnold closing in on Real Madrid moveCarragher 'disappointed' over defender's decisionWants England star to continue Liverpool successFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
Carragher has criticised Alexander-Arnold over his potential move to Real Madrid. The Liverpool full-back looks certain to leave Anfield at the end of the season when his contract expires, with reports this week claiming a deal is close to completion. The move has angered some Liverpool fans, and Carragher believes that Alexander-Arnold should be aiming to create a legacy at Anfield instead of moving to the Bernabeu for free.
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Uncertainty over Alexander-Arnold's future has cast a shadow over Liverpool's season, despite Arne Slot's side seemingly running away with the Premier League title race. His team-mates, Mo Salah and Virgil van Dijk, are also out of contract at the end of the current campaign, with the Reds facing losing three of their most important players for nothing this summer.
WHAT JAMIE CARRAGHER SAID
Carragher, who was speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, brought to you by Sky Bet, said: "It seems like there’s not one thing people are unhappy with – it’s leaving on a free or that he should have come out and told the club earlier – people are angry for three or four different things.
"I’m not angry about him going on a free. In an ideal world, Liverpool would get £70m or £80m for him to reinvest, but you can’t have it both ways as a supporter. If Liverpool sign someone on a free in the summer, we’d all be delighted, so does that mean that his former club should absolutely hate him? Also, when you’re a local player you don’t cost anything – Trent going on a free is like Virgil van Dijk leaving for £75m, we’d still break even.
"Where I’m at is that, as a local player and a Liverpool fan, Liverpool are in a position where they’re competing for the league and a European Cup every year. So, if you’re a Liverpool fan and a local player, I’m just disappointed that he doesn’t think that this is it. I’m putting myself in his position, where I’d be thinking that we could go level with Manchester United in league trophies, I’ve got another seven or eight years at Liverpool and want to get three or four ahead of them, with a couple more European Cups.
"We always talk about rivalries and never think of it as European. In some ways, Real Madrid is a rival, and no one will catch them – they are the biggest and most famous team – but I’m desperate for Liverpool to get second on that list – AC Milan are on 7 [European titles]. If I was him, I’d be thinking that we’ve got a great opportunity to win the league this year and could do this and that and at the end of his time, put Liverpool in a position [to top others]."
AFPWHAT NEXT FOR TRENT ALEXANDER-ARNOLD?
Alexander-Arnold is currently sidelined with an ankle injury suffered against PSG in the Champions League, and was unable to be called up to Thomas Tuchel's first England squad. He looks set to miss around a month of action, but is likely to return towards the end of April as Liverpool look to wrap up only their second Premier League title.