Virgil van Dijk unsure about Anfield reception for returning Trent Alexander-Arnold

Virgil van Dijk said he has hardly been in contact with Trent Alexander-Arnold since his long-time teammate quit Liverpool for Real Madrid and revealed they would not be trading messages before the right-back’s first return to Anfield on Tuesday.

Alexander-Arnold, who was vice-captain to skipper Van Dijk, rejected Liverpool’s offer of a new contract to join Real in the summer, though the Premier League champions received an £8.4m fee so the Spanish club could bring him in early and play him in the Club World Cup.

The right-back got a mixed reception from the Anfield crowd after announcing he would go, including some boos when he came off the bench against Arsenal in April, though he was applauded after the final game of last season, against Crystal Palace.

Van Dijk is unsure how the Anfield crowd will treat the Alexander-Arnold on Tuesday, saying: “Let’s see, I'm not going to comment on that. I think he's been outstanding in his time in Liverpool and that's the only thing I can say.”

They were teammates for seven years, winning the Premier and Champions Leagues together, but Van Dijk said they have not really stayed in touch since Alexander-Arnold’s move.

“Not much, no,” he added. “Nothing personal whatsoever, obviously. I live my life and he lives his life in Madrid.”

open image in gallery

But Van Dijk was full of praise for the Merseysider who made 354 appearances for his hometown club and said Liverpool will have to try and stop him if he makes Xabi Alonso’s team.

“I think Trent is a quality player,” he said. “He showed it so many times, he's a very gifted player and he was important for us over all those years. I was very happy to have him in my team. We have been very successful, but now he's an opponent on Tuesday. If he plays then we have to make it very difficult for him to do what he's good at.”