Liverpool fans should "accept" that Trent Alexander-Arnold wants to embark on a different career path with Real Madrid, former England full-back Nigel Winterburn has exclusively told Sports Mole.
The 26-year-old is believed to have made the decision to swap Anfield for the Bernabeu when his contract expires this summer, but he should depart with a second Premier League winners' medal thanks in no small part to a stunning contribution of his own.
Alexander-Arnold's deflected volley propelled Arne Slot's men to a hard-fought 1-0 triumph over Leicester City on Easter Sunday, as the Reds moved to within one win of claiming the 2024-25 top-flight title.
Alexander-Arnold's wild celebrations may have sparked renewed hope that he could remain at the club, but that is not expected to be the case, and a portion of Liverpool fans have been highly critical of his decision to leave and how he has gone about it.
However, Winterburn has insisted that he would not attack an Arsenal player for doing the same thing, saying: "When you have a player at your club that's highly talented and then they leave, we all want to question why would you want to leave our club?
Winterburn defends Alexander-Arnold's decision to join Real Madrid
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"It's a brilliant football club. Sometimes a player wants to go on a different journey, I think you have to accept that. If it was an Arsenal player, I would be disappointed but I wouldn't be critical, because we all have different ideas of how our careers want to go."
Alexander-Arnold will succeed the long-serving Dani Carvajal at Real Madrid, whom in Winterburn's eyes remain "hard to resist" in spite of their recent Champions League exit at the hands of Arsenal and expected departure of Carlo Ancelotti.
The ex-England man expects Alexander-Arnold to thrive in the Spanish capital, adding: "There's no doubt in my mind Trent is an exciting full-back, terrific on the ball, good going forward.
"I think there are limitations defensively, but if you're talking about going to Real Madrid, lots of possession, challenging for a title, usually challenging for Champions League.
"They're not saying he's made the wrong choice, but some of the Liverpool fans are questioning why he wants to leave - I've just answered those questions for you.
"Liverpool's a terrific football club, but there seems to be something with Real Madrid, Barcelona that when they come calling it, it's hard to resist them. I believe the style of play will suit his game immensely."
Are Liverpool fans right to be angry with Alexander-Arnold?
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Few young players would not dream of one day pulling on the Real Madrid kit, and when that once-in-a-lifetime opportunity comes along, it must be grabbed with both hands lest it pass you by forever.
Team-wise, Alexander-Arnold has won everything that there is to win at Liverpool - from the Premier League and Champions League to the FA Cup and EFL Cup - so his desire for a new challenge is perfectly understandable based on that.
However, when Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk commit their futures to the club, the spotlight will inevitably fall on Alexander-Arnold more, especially as the right-back has seldom spoken out about his future.
The media frenzy and fan debates will rage regardless of what Alexander-Arnold says in public, but the manner of his celebrations at the King Power Stadium will arguably make things worse if he does depart, and Reds fans can be forgiven for holding him in lower regard for that.
Nigel Winterburn was speaking to Sports Mole on behalf of William Hill.
Ben Knapton
