Liverpool’s Slot says contract issues not affecting Alexander-Arnold’s form

Arne Slot stressed Tuesday that contract issues for some of Liverpool’s top stars are not a distraction following stinging criticism of Trent Alexander-Arnold for his performance against Manchester United.

The England defender, linked with a move to Real Madrid, was at fault for Lisandro Martinez’s opener in Sunday’s 2-2 draw at Anfield during a sub-par display.

The right-back’s sloppy performance came during a long-running debate over his future with the Premier League leaders.

The 26-year-old’s contract expires at the end of the season, meaning he can now sign a pre-contract agreement with an overseas club.

Spanish giants Real have reportedly made a bid to sign the former Liverpool trainee but the Anfield club are believed to have rejected their approach.

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk and top-scorer Mohamed Salah are also out of contract at the end of the season.

Liverpool manager Slot, speaking before the first leg of his side’s League Cup semi-final against Tottenham on Wednesday, admitted Alexander-Arnold had performed below his usual standards against United.

“He’s played so, so, so many games well for this club,” he said. “Now it wasn’t his best, like for some others, it wasn’t the best game. 

“And we just pick it up, start training today again, because these players know if you play 50, 60 games in the season that once in a while you don’t have your best performance.”

The Dutchman said he was frustrated at the way the performances of his players were assessed.

“If we drop points, if Mo (Salah) misses the penalty against Madrid, he’s distracted by his contract situation,” said Slot.

“If Trent has not his best performance, he’s distracted by the contract situation. 

“If they play really well, nobody tells me, ‘Yeah, that’s because they have a contract situation’.

“We always try to find arguments, but nine out of ten times the best argument is the quality of the teams you face, or the game plan the other team has.”

Slot also said he avoids the noise around the club after Salah’s cryptic social media post on Monday featuring a picture of all three players who are nearing the end of their contracts.

“I talk to my players so if there is anything that worries them, then they share this with me. That has not happened until now,” he said.

He added: “I’m not focused on social media posts or what has been said about us, because if you do that as a Liverpool manager, you have no life, because this is one of the biggest clubs in the world and every second of the day people talk about us.”