“He was under a lot of pressure” - Liverpool star Virgil van Dijk gives honest response when quizzed on Trent Alexander-Arnold’s Anfield future 

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has stated that he has not spoken to Trent Alexander-Arnold about the Englishman's contract situation at Anfield. The Dutchman believes that the right-back is already under a lot of pressure, and he remains an important player for them.

Speaking to the media after the Reds' 1-0 win over Leicester City on Sunday, Van Dijk stated that Trent is still a Liverpool player. The Englishman scored the only goal of the game with a left-footed volley in the 76th minute.

Van Dijk said (via Mirror):

"I think he was under a lot of pressure already so there's no point for me to put him on the spot. The full focus was for him to get back to full fitness, be important for the remaining games of the season. And he showed today that he was so now it's on to the next. Whatever may happen in the future for him, that's something that he has to resolve with himself and the family. But he's a Liverpool player at this point and he's important for our team. He has been important throughout the whole season and today again he came back from the injury, a long one, and that's what I'm happy about."

"He's back in and amongst us, he's important today and we have still five more games after this so hopefully he can be important for the rest of the games. And since I've joined the club, he has been a fantastic, fantastic player and there's a lot of good things that he will always be remembered for if he decides to leave. But listen, at this point we don't know as a group what's going to happen."

Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah's contracts were also set to expire this summer, but both players have signed two-year extensions with the club. However, Alexander-Arnold's future remains up in the air with his contract set to expire in June.

Trent Alexander-Arnold to leave Liverpool for Real Madrid?

Trent Alexander-Arnold is reportedly close to joining Real Madrid on a free transfer this summer. The right-back will be a free agent at the end of the season as he has not signed a new deal.

Real Madrid are reportedly confident about getting the Englishman, similar to how they got Kylian Mbappe last summer. The PSG superstar also refused to sign a new deal at PSG and joined Los Blancos on a free transfer.

Trent Alexander-Arnold has been at Liverpool his entire career since emerging from their academy. He has not commented on his contract situation and has stated that he will not talk until anything is signed.