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Wayne Rooney has launched an impassioned defense of Trent Alexander-Arnold ahead of the former Liverpool vice-captain’s return to Anfield.
Alexander-Arnold is back at his boyhood club for the first time since leaving the Reds during the summer, with Liverpool taking on Real Madrid in its latest Champions League encounter.
The 27-year-old will have to wait for his opportunity to come up against his old teammates, having been named on the bench by Xabi Alonso, but there has been plenty of discussion about the Liverpool academy graduate ahead of his return to Merseyside, with Reds supporters having made their feelings clear.
Alexander-Arnold was booed by fans inside Anfield as he made his way out to warm up along with Real’s other substitutes, mirroring the reaction that greeted him after he announced his decision to leave the club back in May.
Rooney though feels he should have been afforded a more positive reception, and defended his decision to make the move to the Bernabeu.
Asked whether Alexander-Arnold would get a warm welcome from supporters, Rooney told Amazon Prime Video: “Do you know what, I hope so, but I don’t think it will be positive.
“How can you deny a young lad in the prime of his career the opportunity to go and play for Real Madrid? Don’t get me wrong, Liverpool is such a huge football club around the world, but Real Madrid is different.
“The service he gave to Liverpool and the trophies he’s won here at Liverpool is incredible, but now he’s gone on to a new challenge, and Real Madrid, it’s very difficult to turn them down, so I wish him all the best, and I hope he gets a good reception.”
Former Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge then chimed in: “Wayne, question for you, did you turn Real Madrid down at any point?”
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Rooney responded: “No, the only other club bigger than Real Madrid is Manchester United, so I went to them!”
Rooney was backed up by former Arsenal forward Theor Walcott, who insisted there was nothing wrong with the manner in which Alexander-Arnold left Liverpool after he ran down his contract last season.
“Let’s not forget as well, he served his contract, so he did everything asked of him, he still worked to his full potential and his levels every single day in training, he showed up, he performed. I think people forget that,” Walcott said.
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