Virgil van Dijk admitted he has not been in contact with former Liverpool teammate Trent Alexander-Arnold since joining Real Madrid, and said Arne Slot’s side need to make it “very difficult” for the England international when he returns to Anfield on Tuesday.
Alexander-Arnold left Liverpool at the end of last season, having made 354 appearances for his boyhood club after joining their academy at the age of six. The 27-year-old attracted criticism from some fans after his contract on Merseyside expired and he will return to Anfield this week as Real Madrid face Liverpool in the Champions League.
Asked if he had spoken to Alexander-Arnold since his exit, Van Dijk said: “Not much, no. Nothing personal at all. Obviously I live my life and he lives his life in Madrid.”
“I think Trent is a quality player. He has shown that many times. He is a very talented player and has been important for us all these years. I was very happy to have him in my team and we have had great success. But now he is an opponent on Tuesday. If he plays, we have to make it very difficult for him to do what he does best.”
Asked if he wanted Alexander-Arnold to be given a hostile reception by Anfield, Van Dijk added: “I won’t comment on that. I think he was fantastic in his time at Liverpool.”
Speaking this week about his return to Liverpool, Alexander-Arnold said the reception he received was “the fans’ decision”.
“No matter what, my feelings towards Liverpool will not change,” the right-back told Amazon Prime.
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“I have memories there that will last me a lifetime, and no matter how I am greeted, that will not change.”
He added: “I will always love the club. I will always be a fan of the club. I will always be grateful for the opportunities (given to me by Liverpool) and everything we achieved together will live with me forever.”
