Arne Slot has admitted the ongoing contract uncertainty with Trent Alexander-Arnold could have played a part in post-match criticism of him recently.

Arnold's Liverpool future remains up in the air amid interest from Real Madrid but the Reds defender might look to his manager for inspiration on how to silence the noise

The Liverpool right-back had an afternoon to forget against Manchester United on Sunday, as speculation surrounding his future and a possible move to Real Madrid only intensifies.

Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has defended Trent Alexander-Arnold and believes the reaction he received after the draw with Manchester United is the “biggest compliment” he could get. Alexander-Arnold was below his usual standards during the 2-2 draw with Liverpool’s rivals and plenty of criticism was aimed in his direction for his performances.

Trent Alexander-Arnold endured an awful game against Manchester United on Sunday and boss Arne Slot has now dropped him for the Carabao Cup clash with Tottenham

Slot believes Alexander-Arnold should take it as a compliment that pundits are so hard on him after a bad day

On the pitch, Liverpool’s season has been almost flawless and all should be rosy as Arne Slot continues his record-breaking introduction to English football. However, there is a slight cloud hanging over the Reds’ success this season,

All the latest Liverpool news and transfer gossip as Arne Slot looks to strengthen his squad before the January window slams shut

THE January transfer window is rolling on at full speed – and some huge moves are still in the pipeline. Arsenal have been heavily linked with RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko as Mikel

GTECH STADIUM – Two minutes that might change the course of Darwin Nunez’s fraught Liverpool career. Nobody can possibly have had his late double against Brentford in the script – least of all Arne Slot, who admitted this week that he has not been able to get the best out of the striker.

Darwin Nunez scored twice in added time to earn Arne Slot's team a win that they almost let slip with wasteful finishing in west London

Diogo Jota pressed his claims for a place in the XI with his immediate impact on Tuesday, but in his pre-match press conference, Slot confirmed the Portuguese forward picked up a niggle during his cameo and was struggling to be fit. Given his recent injury record, risking him from the start would be a potentially flawed move.