Liverpool supporters are split following the club’s official social media birthday message to Trent Alexander-Arnold. The defender celebrated his 27th birthday on Tuesday, prompting an outpouring of tributes.
His current employers, Real Madrid, posted a message on Twitter, while his boyhood club Liverpool wrote: “Happy birthday, Trent Alexander-Arnold,” accompanied by a confetti emoji and an image of the defender hoisting the Premier League trophy aloft.
Yet that post sparked controversy amongst certain Liverpool supporters. Reds fans remain deeply emotional about his departure to the Santiago Bernabeu following the expiry of his contract.
One supporter remarked: “This is such an odd move what is going on,” whilst another jokingly enquired: “Have you been hacked?”.
Another follower commented: “Get the distinct impression this will not go down well with the masses! ,” whilst a different fan questioned: “Lads we’ve just lost 3 on the bounce, could you not?”.
One furious Liverpool supporter responded: “Ah yeah, we’ve just lost three on the bounce, so celebrating a player who betrayed us only a few months ago is a great idea, isn’t it? Read the room.”
Others proved far more understanding, though, replying: “Happy birthday TAA. A lot of fans won’t accept but you’re still one of our own. See you soon in the champions league. Have a great one mate,” and another commented: “Happy Birthday, Trent Alexander-Arnold. Thank you for all the great memories, and trophies. Always a Red. A legend. Ynwa.”
Liverpool’s birthday wishes come during a challenging spell for Arne Slot‘s team, having suffered defeats in their last three matches against Galatasaray, Crystal Palace and Chelsea.
Gary Lineker has suggested that the squad is feeling the absence of Alexander-Arnold. Speaking on The Rest Is Football, he said: “In terms of creativity, as much as anything else, I think they’re really missing Trent. Before that, sometimes Trent would go forward and they would, perhaps, get exposed defensively.
“But what he gives you going the other way, it’s impossible to replace. There is not another player I can think of in world football who plays that position [right-back] in the way that he plays it offensively.
“I also think that Mo [Salah] is missing him, that connection that they had. Yes, sometimes they would get exposed in behind, but they would have someone try and cover that position – last season it was mostly [Dominik] Szoboszlai, previous to that would be Jordan Henderson.
“You’ve got to say it was worth his weight in gold going forward, and I always used to say, ‘Stop worrying about him [Alexander-Arnold] making the odd tiny mistake defensively, because what he gives you the other way is incredible.
Alexander-Arnold has also had a challenging start at Real Madrid. The England international has only started three matches for his new club and is currently sidelined with a hamstring injury.