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Jamie Carragher has broken his silence for the first time since Trent Alexander-Arnold's mooted free transfer to Real Madrid was reportedly finalised.

In a lengthy segment, the Liverpool legend spoke about how winning more trophies at Anfield was still a priority - and pinpointed the moment Reds supporters turned on the hometown hero.

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The 26-year-old fullback has been an integral part of Arne Slot's title chasing side and has already won the Premier League in 2020 and the Champions League in 2019.

With his contract set to expire in the summer, Madrid have lined up his signature on a free in June and even put a bid in for the player in January.

Despite the furore around his future, Carragher says he is "not angry" over the likely move and defended the England international against fan backlash.

Speaking on Stick to Football podcast, he said: “It seems like there’s not one thing people are unhappy with – it’s leaving on a free or that he should have come out and told the club earlier – people are angry for three or four different things.

“I’m not angry about him going on a free.

In an ideal world, Liverpool would get £70m or £80m for him to reinvest, but you can’t have it both ways as a supporter.

"If Liverpool sign someone on a free in the summer, we’d all be delighted, so does that mean that his former club should absolutely hate him?

"Also, when you’re a local player you don’t cost anything – Trent going on a free is like Virgil van Dijk leaving for £75m, we’d still break even.

“Where I’m at is that, as a local player and a Liverpool fan, Liverpool are in a position where they’re competing for the league and a European Cup every year.

Trent Alexander-Arnold of Liverpool (Image: Getty Images)

"So, if you’re a Liverpool fan and a local player, I’m just disappointed that he doesn’t think that this is it.

"I’m putting myself in his position, where I’d be thinking that we could go level with Manchester United in league trophies, I’ve got another seven or eight years at Liverpool and want to get three or four ahead of them, with a couple more European Cups.

“If I was him, I’d be thinking that we’ve got a great opportunity to win the league this year and could do this and that and at the end of his time, put Liverpool in a position [to top others].”

Alexander-Arnold featured in the Liverpool side which draw 2-2 against Manchester United at Anfield in January, just hours after the bid from Los Blancos.

The full-back was poor that night and Carragher believes it marked a turning point with supporters.

"That is when it kicked off really was the Man United game," he explained.

My problem is, don't think about yourself when the team is going for the league.

"Everyone knows they were not going to sell him then.

They are going for the league we all know that.

Lets not pretend to have this big dance about it."

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Roy Keane queried: "That game against United, they turned against him on that day."

Carragher replied: "I think they turned on him in that game, Roy, because I think they felt it was almost - it wasn't so much a poor performance it was almost like a lack of energy.

"You remember one of the goals - it wasn't so much he was giving a few goals away.
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