Copyright dailystar
Jamie Carragher believes Liverpool supporters were completely justified in giving Trent Alexander-Arnold a frosty welcome during his maiden return to Anfield following his departure this summer. The 27-year-old made the switch to Real Madrid after agreeing terms in May , having allowed his Liverpool contract to expire. Meanwhile, Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk, both facing similar contractual situations with under 12 months remaining, opted to remain at Anfield. Alexander-Arnold's decision to depart without generating any transfer fee for his boyhood club has left the Kop seething . This anger was palpable tonight as jeers echoed around the ground when the full-back made his Merseyside comeback. Peter Schmeichel branded the Liverpool faithful's reaction as "annoying" and "disgusting in a way." However, Jamie Carragher , who dedicated his entire playing career to the Reds, defended the Anfield supporters, reports the Liverpool Echo . Speaking to CBS Sports, Carragher said: "I don't agree with what you've said there. "I think the supporters decide what type of reception he gets and the reason why the reception will be poor tonight, which I would expect, is because Trent throughout those 20 years, as I've said, has played the position of; 'I'm a supporter on the pitch'. "So them supporters who are all in this stadium wouldn't leave on a free transfer to go play for Real Madrid . Now, okay, it's his career, he gets one career, he's a young man, he's been brilliantly successful at the club. "But what he's said since he's got in the team, if that were to be true, and Liverpool is the only team for him and he wants to be their captain, he wants to be a legend here... "You don't leave when you've just won the league title and you've got the opportunity to go win more trophies with your club. "And then you join a club who's beat you twice in a Champions League final and they're the club you want to compete for to maybe win more Champions League finals. "So, I totally understand the reaction of the supporters. And a lot of it is because they feel like they have been hoodwinked a little bit by Trent throughout the process of him being at the club. "And also in the last year, where he hasn't done any media interviews, he's not got involved in anything where there was talk around obviously him, Salah and Van Dijk. "[Mohamed] Salah and [Virgil] Van Dijk were coming out constantly in the press saying they wanted to stay. "Trent was very silent on the issue - and that's where the frustration comes for the supporters."
