Liverpool boss Arne Slot admits Real Madrid bound Trent Alexander-Arnold could 'do a bit more' in training - 'To say it mildly'
Updated 23/05/2025 at 14:00 GMT+1
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Arne Slot admitted he was not always happy with Trent Alexander-Arnold's performances in pre-season and insisted that the Liverpool defender could do more. Alexander-Arnold is leaving Liverpool upon the expiry of his contract next month, with the player widely expected to join Real Madrid. Liverpool's game at Anfield against Crystal Palace on Sunday will be his last game for the Merseyside club.
‘He could do a bit more’ - Slot reveals frank conversation with Alexander-Arnold
Video credit: TNT Sports
Arne Slot admitted that he was not always happy with Trent Alexander-Arnold’s performances in Liverpool pre-season training and that the player could at times "do a bit more".
The Reds take on Crystal Palace at Anfield in the final game of the season on Sunday, with the dead-rubber encounter set to be concluded by Virgil van Dijk lifting the Premier League trophy.
The game will also carry particular significance for Alexander-Arnold, who will be playing his last-ever Liverpool game, with the right-back widely expected to move to Real Madrid in the summer.
Ahead of the game, Slot shed light on his conversation with the England international throughout the campaign, while the Dutchman admitted that he "wasn’t completely happy" with some of the defender’s performances in training.
"I think Mo [Salah] has said already a few things about why he was in my office in pre-season and there were similar reasons why Trent was in my office in the beginning of the season," he explained.
"Maybe he said it himself, he’s going to leave either way so why not tell. Maybe it’s already a first gift I can give Xabi Alonso."
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'It's time to draw a line under that' - Slot on reaction to Alexander-Arnold boos
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Slot continued: "I wasn’t completely happy with every single minute how he was on the training ground.
"In my opinion in certain moments he could do a bit more, to say it mildly, and that’s what we talked about.
"Combined with that I said to him: ‘You are a much better defender than everybody tells you. Unfortunately you don’t show it all the time. That’s why people sometimes say you are not’.
"If he is just at it and focused and concentrated, there are not many players that can go around him, because he’s fast, he’s agile, he has a great mentality.
"But it’s about showing that every single game, because in this world we are judged not only on the 34 games we do well, we are mainly judged on the four games we don’t do so well.
"These things we spoke about in pre-season."
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Salah hopes ‘incredible season’ helps Ballon d’Or chances - ‘Would mean a lot to me’
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Salah to win Ballon d’Or?
Elsewhere, Slot insisted that "if there was ever the chance" for attacker Mohamed Salah to win the Ballon d'Or "then it would be this season".
The Egyptian has netted 28 goals and registered 18 assists across the league campaign, which adds up to to a record 46 goal involvements in a 38-game season.
Slot said: "He's had a very, very good seasons at Liverpool but this one probably stands out in terms of numbers and if you add to that that we also won the league it will probably give him a fair chance.
"Unfortunately, for all football fans around the world he's not the only player who's had a great season.
"But if there was ever a chance for him, it will be this season. If not, he's going to try and push even harder next season.
"That's what I always know with Mo. In terms of individual performance, [getting better] would be nearly impossible, although never say something is impossible for Mo because he's proven that he can always raise his game even further."
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