Virgil van Dijk ‘gutted’ after Trent Alexander-Arnold decision and reacts to Liverpool fans boos

The right-back was booed by home supporters and the Reds captain concedes his teammate might not have been surprised by the reaction

Virgil van Dijk believes Trent Alexander-Arnold may have expected the boos he got on his first game at Anfield after announcing he will leave Liverpool but said he will have to deal with it.

Alexander-Arnold revealed last Monday that he will move on in the summer after rejecting a new deal at Anfield and was targeted by some in the Anfield crowd during the 2-2 draw against Arsenal.

Captain Van Dijk said he was “gutted” with the vice-captain’s decision but thinks the right-back himself is at peace with it, with Alexander-Arnold expected to join Real Madrid.

Van Dijk admitted he was surprised by the reception Alexander-Arnold received after he was brought off the bench on Sunday.

“I wasn't really expecting something, to be honest,” he said. “But it is what it is. The reaction happened. He has to deal with it. We as a team have to deal with that as well, by the way. But I think maybe he expected this.

“He made his decision and he had peace with it. We are gutted that he's not here with us next year because he's a fantastic player, with outstanding, exceptional qualities that we have all been seeing over the last seven years I've been here.”

Like Alexander-Arnold, Van Dijk and top scorer Mohamed Salah were both in the final weeks of their contracts and could have left on free transfers but chose instead to sign new, two-year deals.

But Van Dijk said: “You can't compare our situation – me and Mo in this case – with Trent. I'm happy and proud to extend because for me there is no other place to be at this point.”

Van Dijk said he did not have time to try and persuade Alexander-Arnold to stay as he was worried about his own future.

Arne Slot (right) brought Alexander-Arnold on as a substitute to try and control the game against Arsenal (AP)

And he revealed he had concerns about where he would play next year for much of the season while saying plenty of other clubs expressed an interest in him.

He added: “I was sorting my own stuff out, I had to secure my future as well and I was quite busy doing that. There was a lot of noise saying I had decided months ago but that wasn't the case. I think a month ago we came to an agreement before I signed. I'm not the youngest any more and I have a family to provide for and I don't want to be left in the dark. There were loads of other options but Liverpool is the place for me.”

Alexander-Arnold’s departure could mean Liverpool need to go into the transfer market and Van Dijk believes they have quite a lot of business to do.

“I think it has to be a big summer and I trust the club and the people who make the decisions to do the right thing,” he said. “As champions it is a very difficult task to remain champions but I feel with additions we can make that step up.”