Keane ‘fed up’ with ‘childish’ Alexander-Arnold as Gerrard joins criticism of Real Madrid star | OneFootball

Roy Keane is “fed up” with Trent Alexander-Arnold and his “childish antics” after watching the ex-Liverpool star’s performance for Real Madrid in their defeat to Bayern Munich.

Alexander-Arnold hasn’t enjoyed the best of times in his debut season at the Bernabeu after leaving Liverpool at the end of his contract in the summer.

A combination of injury and poor form has seen Alexander-Arnold start just 16 games for Real Madrid in all competitions and he was left out of Thomas Tuchel’s latest England squad in a huge blow to his World Cup hopes.

He laid on a stunning assist for Kylian Mbappe in Real Madrid’s 2-1 defeat to Bayern, smashing the ball across the six-yard box after making an excellent run down the right flank.

But he was also typically lax in defence, particularly when he allowed Luis Díaz to run off his shoulder to open the scoring for the visitors.

It will come as no surprise that Keane – a frequent critic of Alexander-Arnold and his qualities at full-back – opted to focus on the negatives of his performance following Madrid’s defeat on Tuesday.

He said on Stick to Football: “Listen… I’m fed up. The same story in every important match. People keep talking about how well the ball is passed, but what about the basics?

“Defending. At this level, in the Champions League, you can’t just switch off like that. It’s a childish mistake. Letting Luis Díaz get past you like you’re not even there? Please.

“Keep defending like he’s never played right-back in his life. Important matches demand great defenders, and right now, he’s far from being one.”

Joe Cole and Steven Gerrard were similarly critical on TNT Sports.

“Not one moment does he look over his shoulder,” Joe Cole said as he analysed Alexander-Arnold’s role in Diaz’s goal.

“You can’t sleep when Luis Diaz is about,” Steven Gerrard had said on commentary. “The speed and the timing of the run is exquisite.”

Alexander-Arnold was positive over Madrid’s chances of turning the tie around at the Allianz Arena next week.

“First-half wasn’t the greatest from us,” he admitted. “Our aim is to win this competition, we intend to go over there, win, and go through to the next round.

“When the game opened up in the second half, made changes, we were able to get back in the game. So we need to take the positives, learn from the negatives, and go there next week with the aim of winning the competition.”

On his stop-start season, he added: “I’m feeling better game by game, fitness is certainly there. It’s about maintaining that and staying fit while helping the team win games anyway I can. I helped contribute with an assist, but it’s also about doing what’s best for the team.”