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Virgil van Dijk gave a brutal response when he was asked whether he had spoken to Trent Alexander-Arnold following his former teammate’s return to Liverpool.
Alexander-Arnold found himself on the losing side as the Reds beat Real Madrid 1-0 in the Champions League, with Alexis Mac Allister’s second half header securing a deserved victory for the hosts at Anfield.
It was the first time Alexander-Arnold had been back at his boyhood club following his summer departure for the Spanish capital. Much of the pre-match talk was dominated by his return, and the reception he would be given by Liverpool’s fans.
The home supporters left him in no uncertain terms on their feelings about his exit from Anfield, with the 27-year-old loudly booed when he made his way out to warm up alongside Real’s substitutes, having been named on the bench by Xabi Alonso.
And the Anfield crowd increased the volume when Alexander-Arnold was brought on in the second half, although he was unable to make any impact as his side fell to their first defeat in Europe this season.
Although he was given a warm welcome back by some of his former teammates, with Dominik Szoboszlai seen embracing him before the game, it seems Van Dijk was not in such a charitable mood.
Asked by former Arsenal star Theo Walcott on Amazon Prime Video whether he had spoken to Alexander-Arnold after the game, the Liverpool captain simply responded: “No.”
Arne Slot was slightly more forthcoming with his reception for his former vice-captain. The Reds head coach was also asked about Alexander-Arnold during his post-match press conference, and the reaction from the Anfield crowd.
“I was impressed by the atmosphere throughout the whole 90 minutes, even before the game,” Slot said.
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“I think the fans helped us over 90 minutes, and not only the time when Trent was on the pitch.”
Asked whether he had met Alexander-Arnold after the game, Slot added: “Only shortly afterwards. I gave him a hug, I don’t even exactly know what I said, but probably not a lot.
“Every time I meet him, I will either give him a hug or talk to him because he’s been very special to me as a player and as a human being.”
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