Virgil van Dijk gave an extremely awkward answer when asked about Trent Alexander-Arnold following Liverpool’s 1-0 win over Real Madrid at Anfield.
Alexis Mac Allister’s second-half header was enough to seal all three points for Arne Slot’s side, with the victory taking the Reds to sixth in the 36-team Champions League league phase after four matches.
Heading into the match, the narrative was about Alexander-Arnold’s return to his boyhood club, having left for Real Madridahead of the Club World Cup in June.
And the Liverpudlian had to wait until just under ten minutes from time to be introduced by Los Blancos head coach Xabi Alonso before arriving on the pitch to a chorus of boos from the Anfield faithful.
Some fans even suggested that Mac Allister aimed a dig at Trent by copying his celebration after he scored.
Throughout his cameo, Trent was jeered when he touched the ball, with some fans goading the full-back by chanting about Steven Gerrard, who remained loyal to the Reds for most of his career before leaving for LA Galaxy in the twilight of his playing days.
Virgil van Dijk in action for Liverpool (Credit:Getty)
Despite all of this, Slot insisted that Trent would get a warm welcome from him, but the same can’t be said for Van Dijk.
After the match, Van Dijk spoke to Amazon Prime’s panel made up of Wayne Rooney, Theo Walcott, Robbie Fowler, Daniel Sturridge and host Gabby Logan.
During the interview, the Dutchman and Rooney were involved in an awkward exchange following their recent back-and-forth.
Last week, Rooney said: “Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah, they’ve signed new deals but I don’t think they’ve really led that team this season.
“I think body language tells you a lot, and I think we’re seeing slightly different body language from the two of them.
“They are the top two players in that team, and if their body language is not right, that affects everyone else.
Van Dijk and Mohamed Salah they’ve signed new deals, but I don’t think they’ve really led that team this season.”
And the Liverpool captain confronted Rooney over his claims on Tuesday.
“For me personally, I do not get affected by the noise,” Van Dijk claimed.
“I think some of the criticism has been fair, but some has been over the top.”
Attention then turned to Trent, with Walcott asking whether Van Dijk had managed to see him, to which the Liverpool centre-back simply replied: “No.”
Liverpool return to action away against Manchester City on Sunday.