Liverpool, Jan 10 : There has been a lot of criticism surrounding Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold after his performance during the side's 2-2 draw against Manchester United. Head coach Arne Slot has backed his player amidst criticism and claimed Trent has had great games for the side.

"I do see a certain pattern in the goals we concede, but I don't see the pattern if it is about Trent. Not at all. Trent has had one difficult game for us (in Sunday's 2-2 draw with Manchester United at Anfield) and maybe a few that were OK to good. Mainly he has had great games when he played for us this season.

"I know there is a lot of focus on him at the moment, but I would also like to highlight the focus on how well he did when he came on in the last half hour (against Tottenham on Wednesday) and how our fans reacted to him, that is what pleased me even more during that game,' said Slot in a press conference.

The 26-year-old has been linked with a potential move to European giants Real Madrid in the coming summer transfer window, which has brought a lot of attention to his on-field outings. He was benched for the team's 0-1 loss against Tottenham Hotspur in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-finals.

Accrington Stanley FC head coach John Doolan,who was previously a coach at Liverpool's academy and trained a six-year-old Trent during his time there, spoke on the wing-back during his press conference on Wednesday and said he's looking forward to catching up with Trent.

"I looked after Trent when he was six and seven, which he probably won't remember, but his mum, Diane, might, I spoke to her quite a lot.

"He was a centre-forward and you could see the ability he had then, scoring with both feet, could just glide past people. You could see he was an outstanding talent, even back then. It would be nice if he does remember, but it would be nice to see Diane and catch up with her as well,' Doolan said.

/IANS