Roy Keane has slammed Trent Alexander-Arnold, amid speculation linking him with a move to Real Madrid. 

Liverpool star Alexander-Arnold, 26, has been the subject of intense scrutiny in recent times, with the defender – alongside Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah – out of contract at the end of the season.

Liverpool remain in negotiations with all three stars, but no breakthrough has been made as the months tick by, and the players are able to speak to overseas clubs about joining on a free transfer in the summer. 

Carlo Ancelotti’s side are reportedly confident they will be able to sign Alexander-Arnold and have been chasing the defender in January, submitting a £20million bid that was swiftly rejected. 

The focus on his future has come at a time when Alexander-Arnold has suffered a dip in form, with the 33-time England star coming in for heavy criticism for his performance during the Reds’ 2-2 draw with Man United this month. 

Roy Keane has slammed Trent Alexander-Arnold and taken aim at the 26-year-old’s defending

The criticism comes at a time when Alexander-Arnold has been linked with Real Madrid 

The defender has similarly come in for criticism for his performances over recent weeks

And, Keane, speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, brought to you by Sky Bet, commented on the speculation, and said that despite all the acclaim for Alexander-Arnold, he still has glaring weaknesses in his game.

‘If Trent Alexander-Arnold goes to Real Madrid, then good luck to him – as if Madrid don’t know how to defend,’ he said.

‘He’s played over 300 games and played for England, but he still defends like he has never played at right back. 

‘He’s played all these games, and he must do training sessions, but he’s playing right back, and people go at him like he’s confused and never seen something like that before. 

‘Trent defends as if Liverpool have had lots of injuries, and they’ve asked him to just fill in a position.’

Meanwhile, despite the criticism Alexander-Arnold has faced, Reds boss Arne Slot has remained steadfast in his support.

Speaking after the 26-year-old scored in Liverpool’s 4-0 win over Accrington Stanley, Slot said: ‘I could talk for hours about that goal. Unbelievable.

‘Every player around the world, maybe except for a few, has a bad game and that is completely normal. But the moment Trent has one, everyone has an opinion about it.

Keane went on to claim that Alexander-Arnold ‘defends like he has never played right back’ 

Arne Slot has been full of praise for the defender, who was the subject of a £20m bid from Real 

‘Maybe, maybe that is because of the contract situation. I don’t know if that wasn’t there if people would have reacted in the same way.

‘Many of them were quite hard on him.’ 

Alexander-Arnold has remained tight-lipped on his future, with his last public quotes on the topic coming in September.

‘I want to be a Liverpool player this season (as a minimum) is what I will say,’ he explained.

‘Look, I have been at the club 20 years now, I have signed four or five contract extensions, none of those have been played out in public, and this one won’t be either.’

Alexander-Arnold was last in action on Tuesday when he played the full 90 minutes of Liverpool’s 1-1 draw with Nottingham Forest.

The Reds, who sit four points clear at the top of the table, return to action on Saturday with a trip to Brentford.

Roy Keane was speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, brought to you by Sky Bet