Arne Slot explains the substitution that left Trent Alexander-Arnold angry

Liverpool manager Arne Slot insisted he was trying to 'look after' Trent Alexander-Arnold by substituting him during their 2-0 win over Brentford on Sunday.

The Reds won Slot's first competitive home game since Jurgen Klopp's victory in the Anfield dugout. Goals in each half from Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah saw Liverpool claim all three points.

Alexander-Arnold was taken off after 72 minutes and replaced by Conor Bradley, but as the 25-year-old made his way to the bench, he cut an unhappy figure and had to be spoken to by Slot when he returned to his seat.

In his post-match press conference, Slot was asked about withdrawing Alexander-Arnold and why he was upset by his manager's decision.

“He didn't look so happy after the release, you say? I understand,” Slot began.

“Every player wants to play 90 minutes, but I don't think the players who were sitting on the bench from the beginning were happy with the decisions I made.

“But Trent came back to the national team where at the beginning of the tournament he played a lot, then he didn't play anymore, he came back for a few weeks, he came back, it's only his third game and we have to take care of him. and because we need him for the whole season and not just the first two games.

“The good thing for me is that I have very good backups with Conor, so that means we take care of Trent. But he played a good game, that's what I saw.”

Alexander-Arnold has just a year left on his Liverpool contract and has been heavily linked with a free transfer to Real Madrid next summer.

Liverpool and Alexander-Arnold return to action next Sunday with a trip to rivals Manchester United.

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