Wright and Keane stunned as Slot’s ‘parting shot’ to Alexander-Arnold comes to light | OneFootball

Liverpool supporters know all too well how Arne Slot’s second summer at Anfield was dominated by exits as well as record-breaking arrivals, and one departure in particular continues to spark debate.

England boss Thomas Tuchel left former Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold out of his latest squad, and the fallout from his switch to Real Madrid has seen Jamie Carragher reflect on the words of our current head coach.

Slot’s comments on Alexander-Arnold’s Liverpool exit

Before the final game of last season, Slot made headlines by admitting he had frustrations with the 26-year-old. Speaking in his Crystal Palace pre-match press conference, the Dutchman said:

“He’s going to leave anyway so why not, it might be the first gift I can give Xabi Alonso…

“I wasn’t completely happy with every single minute he was on the training ground. In my opinion there were certain moments he could do more, to put it mildly.”

Slot also stressed he believed the England international was a better defender than given credit for but claimed he didn’t always show it.

Carragher, speaking on The Overlap, linked that message to the wider discussion about why Alexander-Arnold is now struggling for England opportunities.

“Arne Slot said something when [Trent] had moved on which was probably a little bit of a dig really…

“He sort of said something along the lines of, ‘if I’ll give Xabi Alonso a little bit of advice, you might need to push Trent in training a little bit,’” Carragher explained.

Keane and Wright weigh in on Slot’s words

Pictures via The Overlap on YouTube

Ian Wright immediately reacted by saying “wow, parting shot,” while Roy Keane described the remarks as “sneaky digs in the ribs.”

Carragher doubled down, adding: “When your managers are saying that it’s that little bit of, ‘come on’.

“We all know how good he is. He’s amazing. But I think it’s probably getting to the stage, what is he 26, 27? where he’s not a young kid. He’s played hundreds of games.”

Keane then concluded with a damning assessment: “When’s the penny going to drop?”

That question will hang over the Madrid defender as he looks to rebuild his England career, while Liverpool move forward without him after bringing in Jeremie Frimpong from Bayer Leverkusen and with the surprise emergence of Dominik Szoboszlai in the role.

As Tuchel searches for answers at international level, Slot’s pointed words may explain why the Reds were willing to allow an exit for a player once seen as the future of Anfield.

You can view the Alexander-Arnold conversation (from 51:00) via The Overlap on YouTube:

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