Virgil van Dijk gave a very uncomfortable response when questioned about Trent Alexander-Arnold after Liverpool’s 1–0 victory over Real Madrid at Anfield.
A second-half header from Alexis Mac Allister secured the win for Arne Slot’s side, moving Liverpool up to sixth place in the new 36-team Champions League league format after four matches.
Before kickoff, much of the attention centred on Alexander-Arnold’s return to Anfield, months after leaving his hometown club for Real Madrid ahead of June’s Club World Cup. The full-back was kept on the bench until the final ten minutes and was met with loud boos from the home crowd when he entered the pitch.
Some supporters even speculated that Mac Allister mocked Trent by imitating his trademark celebration after scoring.
Throughout his short appearance, Trent was jeered every time he touched the ball, and sections of the crowd taunted him by singing about Steven Gerrard — a player who stayed loyal to Liverpool for nearly his entire career before moving to LA Galaxy. Slot said before the match that Trent would receive respect from him personally, but Van Dijk clearly didn’t feel the same.
Post-match, Van Dijk was interviewed on Amazon Prime by a panel including Wayne Rooney, Theo Walcott, Robbie Fowler, Daniel Sturridge and presenter Gabby Logan.
During the segment, things became tense as Van Dijk and Rooney addressed comments Rooney made earlier in the week.
Rooney had said:
“Van Dijk and Salah have signed new contracts, but I don’t think they’ve really taken responsibility for leading the team this season. Their body language hasn’t been great, and that affects everyone else.”
On Tuesday, Van Dijk responded, saying:
“I don’t pay attention to outside noise. Some criticism is fair, but some of it goes way too far.”
The conversation then shifted to Alexander-Arnold, with Walcott asking whether Van Dijk had spoken to him. Van Dijk gave a blunt one-word answer: “No.”
Liverpool’s next match is away to Manchester City on Sunday.
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