Alexander-Arnold feels first signs of Anfield frustration

Trent Alexander-Arnold's Liverpool future - along with Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk - has provided a permanent subplot to Liverpool's stellar first season under head coach Arne Slot.

All has been serene as Liverpool have dominated in the Premier League, contract negotiations a major talking point but not a distraction to winning games until Sunday's 2-2 draw with Manchester United at Anfield.

Even before kick-off, a new banner appeared on the Kop reading "Give Mo And Co Their Dough", with Alexander-Arnold and Van Dijk's images emblazoned alongside Salah.

And yet, in the past few days, the first signs of frustration with Alexander-Arnold from Liverpool supporters have appeared as it emerged Real Madrid have made an official bid to take the 26-year-old in January.

Bad timing, perhaps, but this was followed by Alexander-Arnold delivering a nightmare performance as Liverpool were held to a deserved 2-2 draw by previously struggling United.

Alexander-Arnold's display was too casual throughout, a stray pass the catalyst for Lisandro Martinez's opener for United, with coach Ruben Amorim also clearly devising a strategy to target Alexander-Arnold on the right flank, where the majority of their attacks came.

Alexander-Arnold sloppily played Rasmus Hojlund onside for a first-half chance that was rescued by Alisson's save, while Amad Diallo's equaliser came after Alejandro Garnacho exploited more space on the right flank.

It may have been an optical illusion, but Alexander-Arnold looked distracted and lacklustre throughout, a glaring weakness defensively and shorn of his usual attacking threat.

Slot jumped to Alexander-Arnold's defence, but this was still one of the defender's poorest performances in recent memory, all under the gaze of new head coach Thomas Tuchel.

And, for the first time, there were the noises of frustration and discontent from Liverpool fans inside Anfield aimed at the local boy they call "the scouser in our team" - not helped by United defying the odds to take an unexpected point.

There should be no knee-jerking over one bad display among many top-class this season, but the timing - coming at the start of January and after Real stepped up their interest - could not have been worse for Alexander-Arnold.

He has plenty of time to apply the correction, but any more displays like this and frustration will rise, along with the speculation that his head is being turned as Real lurk in the shadows with their interest now out in the open.

Liverpool do not need any untimely backdrops with their season going so well - and that will be helped by Alexander-Arnold returning to his best as quickly as possible.