Virgil van Dijk says he has no doubts about Trent Alexander-Arnold’s quality and has suggested player welfare is being forgotten about amid recent criticism.
The Liverpool full-back came under heavy criticism for his defensive performance in the 3-3 draw with Brighton on Saturday and his place in the England squad for next month’s World Cup in Qatar has been called into question.
Van Dijk claims his team-mate is a victim of a culture in the UK that builds players up before bringing them down.
Speaking after Liverpool’s 2-0 victory over Rangers in the Champions League on Tuesday night – in which Alexander-Arnold scored a stunning free-kick to open the scoring – the Dutchman said: “We know the quality he has and he showed it again today.
“But I’ve been in the UK now for eight, nine years and everyone here is very good to praise a player very high up to the sky and let them fall as hard as they can.