Trent Alexander-Arnold has arguably never played worse for Liverpool, and he must address the current impasse in his contract negotiations as his silence has backfired, according to Reds expert David Lynch.
Liverpool were held to a disappointing 2-2 stalemate by Manchester United on Sunday in the Premier League, a match in which Alexander-Arnold came in for bouts of criticism.
The defender was notably poor when defending against Bruno Fernandes and Diogo Dalot, and though boss Arne Slot tried to shield him from the fallout after the match, his showing was so concerning that some fans came to the conclusion that he was distracted by the persistent links to Real Madrid.
There have even been suggestions that Alexander-Arnold may not be as committed to Liverpool due to a potential agreement to join Los Blancos for free in the summer, but Lynch believes that it is impossible to truly know why the right-back played so poorly.
Lynch told Sports Mole: "I thought it was possibly the worst I've ever seen him play for Liverpool, I would genuinely go that far. I felt that in the ground watching him, he just didn't feel like he was coming out on top of any battle and you look at the numbers - zero out of five duels won, he didn't win a single tackle in the match.
"Sometimes if he's not going to be great defensively, you think about all that upside that he offers on the ball, and yet he creates one chance, he doesn't succeed with a single cross that he puts into the box out of six attempts, and that's looking at the numbers after watching it and feeling it in the ground that he didn't play very well at all. I think it was the worst performance he's put into Liverpool.
"It's inevitable that you will think it's something to do with the interest from Real Madrid. The fact he clearly hasn't made a decision on what he wants to do yet, you will make that link. Interestingly, that's the first time I've ever seen the crowd in Anfield make that jump. I've seen it on social media - people have [said] 'oh his head's been turned', but it's the first time I've heard the crowd around the press box suggest it, and it did at times get a little bit toxic."
Alexander-Arnold's performance was perhaps under greater scrutiny as Real Madrid had made an attempt to sign the defender in the days prior, and while the vice-captain might have just experienced an off day, the rumours about a potential move have become harder to ignore.
Why Alexander-Arnold can no longer remain silent
Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk have both publicly expressed their desire to remain at Anfield rather than leave upon the expiry of their contracts in the summer, while Alexander-Arnold has insisted that he does not want his negotiations to play out in the media.
However, there is an argument that by choosing not to comment on his future at Liverpool, the Scouser has allowed reports from Spain - reports that suggest he has his heart set on moving to Madrid - to take control of the narrative.
Speaking to Sports Mole, Lynch does not believe that the right-back can maintain his silence for much longer, saying: "It's probably not his fault that Real Madrid are creating all the fuss, and his initial aim was to keep it in-house - he didn't want it played out in public was the phrase he used - but we're getting to the point where it's no longer his choice.
"He's wanted to leave this option of Real Madrid as leverage [during] contract talks, but it is also there as a potential option if he can't agree with Liverpool, or if he decides 'I'm actually going to do this at the end of the season', but by playing both sides off against each other he's allowed Real Madrid the agency to step in and create a narrative and whip up a storm, and then also start popping bids in in January.
"He wants to have his cake and eat it and leave both options open, and if the crowd starts turning against you in those situations - and I have not heard a peep about that outside of social media up until Sunday - but if that starts to turn it starts to get toxic, it becomes very difficult. I just don't think he can delay making a decision any longer, or speaking about this publicly because it is starting to turn."
Alexander-Arnold's performance was made worse by the fact right-back Conor Bradley was brought on as a substitute late on and won all three of his duels, and seemed far more energised despite only recently returning to training following an injury.
© Imago
Will Alexander-Arnold leave to join Real Madrid?
Given the 26-year-old has not yet put in a series of poor performances, it is difficult to definitively suggest that his head has been turned by Real Madrid.
There is no doubt that losing Alexander-Arnold to Los Blancos would be a significant blow, and if there is a chance that Liverpool can reach an agreement with the defender, then the club should do all they can to extend his contract.
While Lynch admits that the vice-captain has not turned down Real Madrid's advances, he told Sports Mole that it is premature to come to a conclusion about why he performed badly and whether he will leave for Spain, saying: "We can't really know outside of getting inside his head and it almost doesn't matter whether it actually was that that caused the performance because it's all about the perception, and he's left that avenue open for that perception.
"He is definitely leaving the Real Madrid auction open because he hasn't told them no. We know that for a fact if he told them no there wouldn't be all this noise, there wouldn't be bids going in. As much as it's not him inviting the bid, he's definitely not told them that he doesn't want the bid to go in.
"As much as Liverpool themselves are responsible for this contract situation - the fact it's got here, the change in sporting directors, the power that Jurgen Klopp was given these are all factors - I do think that the player himself has played a role as well so he's not entirely without blame."
Alexander-Arnold will have the chance to atone for his display against Manchester United on Wednesday night when Liverpool take on Tottenham Hotspur away from home in the first leg of their EFL Cup semi-final clash.
Lewis Nolan
