Jamie Carragher names the one thing which has ‘disappointed’ him most about Trent’s imminent exit

Jamie Carragher has been left ‘disappointed’ with one particular aspect of Trent Alexander-Arnold’s impending departure from Liverpool.

The Reds’ vice-captain looks set to join Real Madrid on a free transfer in the summer at the end of his contract at Anfield, and he could even cut short his current deal in order to be registered in time for Los Blancos’ participation at the Club World Cup in June.

Many Kopites are understandably indignant over losing one of the club’s best players of modern times in the prime of his career without a fee being recouped, while also being dismayed over the 26-year-old’s long-standing public silence on the matter.

However, it’s not the lack of an incoming transfer fee or the apparent unwillingness of Trent to sign a new contract at Liverpool which has irked Carragher, but rather that the right-back is leaving the club during a period of great promise on the pitch.

What has Carragher said about Trent?

Speaking on the latest episode of Stick to Football, the Sky Sports pundit said: “I’m not angry with him going on a free transfer – I would love money to replace him if he moves on.

“Where I’m at is that I just think as a local player and a Liverpool fan, Liverpool are in a position, they have been the last five or six years where they’re competing for the league and the European Cup every year.

“If you’re a Liverpool fan and a local player, I’m just disappointed that he doesn’t think this is it, in terms of like, you could… I’m putting myself in his position where I’d be thinking, ‘We could go level with United here in the leagues’.

“I’ve got another, say, seven or eight years left at Liverpool, I want to get up to three or four ahead of them – can we get another couple of European Cups?”

Is Trent leaving Liverpool at the wrong time?

Unfavourable comparisons have been made in recent days with Steve McManaman and Michael Owen, both of whom also left Liverpool for Real Madrid in times gone by.

However, while the Reds didn’t look like competing for major trophies at the time of their respective exits in 1999 and 2004 (little did we know about Istanbul!), Carragher maked a valid point in highlighting that LFC have once again been consistently challenging for Premier League and European glory, and look well-placed to continue doing so.

Trent has already won the biggest prizes on offer to Liverpool, but had he stayed put and added a few more to his collection on Merseyside over the next few years, he’d have been remembered for decades as the local hero who rose from the ranks to become a cornerstone of a legendary era at Anfield.

He may well win LaLiga and the Champions League several times at Real Madrid, but deep down would any such triumphs elicit the same emotional connection as the domestic and European glories he had at his boyhood club?

We’re sure that would’ve come into his thinking and perhaps might not have been enough to satisfy his career ambitions, but he seems to have made his choice.

As tough as it is to take right now, let’s hope that Liverpool can still go on to enjoy a trophy-laden era without the 26-year-old.

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