Roy Keane has been a vocal critic of Trent Alexander-Arnold in the not-too-distant past, but he appears to have changed his tune on the Liverpool vice-captain after today’s events against Leicester.
The 26-year-old marked his comeback from an ankle injury by coming off the bench and scoring a 76th-minute winner for the Reds, who’d been frustrated for much of the game by their relegation-bound opponents.
The result takes Arne Slot’s team to within one win of the Premier League title, but we still don’t know whether or not the right-back will be around to help his boyhood club to try and retain the trophy next season, with a free transfer to Real Madrid at the end of his current contract seemingly inevitable and the player giving nothing away as to his future when speaking after the game.
Keane praises Trent but calls for perspective
Speaking on Sky Sports after today’s match, Keane praised Trent’s contribution to Liverpool during his time at Anfield but insisted that they won’t fall off a cliff if he isn’t in their squad after this summer, having overcome the departures of countless legends before him.
The pundit said: “Trent’s a fantastic player, but it’s as if the world is coming to an end if he leaves. If he does leave, you wish the lad well. He’s done brilliant. He’s been a good servant.
“He’s been a brilliant player for Liverpool, but I’m pretty sure Liverpool will survive. Better players have left Liverpool than Trent, and Liverpool have done OK.
“You have to also accept that you’re supporting the club. Obviously you love your players and you have your idols like Dalglish and Rush and all these people, but when they leave you just continue. Good players will come through. That’s the name of the game. As brilliant as Trent is, Liverpool will be fine.”
Keane has changed his tune on Trent since January!
Two things stand out from Keane’s verdict on Trent. Firstly, he’s right when he says that, as much of a loss as the right-back will be to the team, LFC will keep on keeping on and future icons will either come up through the academy ranks or join from elsewhere.
Also, his praise of the Liverpool vice-captain marks quite a turnaround from what he said about him after our draw against Manchester United just three months ago, when he scathingly remarked that, in the wake of an error-strewn performance, the 26-year-old could be joining Tranmere rather than Real Madrid.
Even the England international’s most committed admirers would admit that he can be culpable of defensive horror shows on occasion, but few players in the club’s history have been as influential from right-back as he has since breaking into the first team eight years ago.
Trent showed today that he’s nowhere near as bad as what Keane tried to make out before, and although he’ll be sorely missed if (as seem likely) he goes in the summer, LFC will find someone to fill the void that he leaves. Whether that’s Conor Bradley or a new signing remains to be seen.
