Virgil van Dijk played down the emotional nature of Trent Alexander-Arnold’s Anfield homecoming, insisting instead that Liverpool “have to make it very difficult” for their former teammate and his Real Madrid colleagues.
Alexander-Arnold’s return to Merseyside has dominated the buildup to Tuesday night’s weighty Champions League clash between two members of European royalty. The Liverpool academy graduate left his boyhood club under a cloud after running down his contract and is bracing himself for a frosty reception from embittered fans.
As Van Dijk was quick to point out, Alexander-Arnold won’t be coddled on the pitch either.
“I think Trent is a quality player,” the 34-year-old warned. “He showed it so many times. He’s a very gifted player and he was important for us all those years. I was very happy to have him in my team and 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.”
Liverpool have felt the pinch of Alexander-Arnold’s creative absence, none more so than Mohamed Salah, yet whether he even gets onto the pitch is still up in the air for a player who has spent the past six weeks out injured.
Van Dijk was more concerned with a tactical domination of Alexander-Arnold rather than a hostile atmosphere from Anfield. “I’m not going to comment on that,” the Dutch skipper said when asked about his preferred reaction from the crowd. “I think he’s been outstanding in his time at Liverpool.”
For all his praise of Alexander-Arnold’s ability, Van Dijk revealed that he’s had limited contact with his former teammate of almost a decade. “Not much, no. Nothing personal whatsoever. Obviously I live my life and he lives his life in Madrid.”
