Michael Owen ‘disappointed’ at Liverpool fans over something they did at Anfield
Michael Owen has slammed Liverpool fans for their treatment of Trent Alexander-Arnold following his move to Real Madrid.
The 26-year-old announced his decision to leave his boyhood club after winning the Premier League for a second time.
Liverpool supporters didn’t react well to his exit, booing the full-back when he was substituted on during their 2-2 draw with Arsenal at Anfield.
Owen will sympathise with Alexander-Arnold’s situation, after ditching the Reds for Los Blancos in 2004.
Alexander-Arnold swaps Liverpool for Madrid
After watching the former Liverpool defender receive humungous criticism from the Anfield faithful, Owen has now publicly defended the full-back’s decision.
“I was so disappointed when he got the reaction he did. Of course, people are going to feel let down, a bit sore or disappointed, but this will never change,” Owen said on talkSPORT (4 June).
“When it’s your job, you see it very differently. There’s no point me trying to stick up for him in any way as a fan wears that badge, they are proud of their badge and that’s never going to change.
“But in what other job do you get criticised for trying to better yourself for just trying to be as good as you can in the shortest career of them all?”
Owen’s time in Madrid didn’t go to plan, with the striker spending just one season in the Spanish capital before moving to Newcastle United.
The 2001 Ballon d’Or winner will hope Alexander-Arnold has a more successful stint at the Bernabeu, especially due to the full-back’s £1billion release clause inserted in his six-year contract, which could make an exit very tough if things went wrong.
Trent Alexander-Arnold will be determined to succeed under Xabi Alonso
The lengthy transfer saga that has surrounded the defender’s move to Real Madrid has somewhat clouded why the Spanish giants were so keen to secure his signature.
The 26-year-old is without a doubt one of the most technically gifted footballers in the world, which is why Madrid outlined him as their ideal right-back.
Xabi Alonso is known to have attacking full-backs at the epicentre of his managerial philosophy, which should play into Alexander-Arnold’s strengths.
| Career Stats | Trent Alexander-Arnold |
| Appearances | 373 |
| Goals | 27 |
| Assists | 96 |
His ability to deliver a devastating through ball or a pinpoint cross to forwards such as Kylian Mbappe or Vinicius Junior could make for an offensive presence that will easily penetrate most defences in Europe.
After all the backlash from the Liverpool fans following his decision to leave and the lofty ambitions of the Real Madrid supporters, Alexander-Arnold will have to block the outside noise and focus on proving why he has chosen to become the latest English star to don the famous white shirt.