Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk admitted that the boos aimed at Trent Alexander-Arnold would not be “easy” to accept, but insisted that the outgoing full-back would have to “deal with it” – just as he and the rest of his teammates did on Sunday.

Alexander-Arnold’s first appearance since announcing his departure at the end of the season was soured by a volley of boos from large sections of the Anfield crowd before, during and after the 2-2 draw with Arsenal.

Reds boss Arne Slot insisted that “everybody can have their own opinion”, while fellow defender Andy Robertson revealed that “it was not nice” to see his teammate singled out. Van Dijk echoed Slot’s sentiment with a more forceful tone: “I think the manager said it right in the press conference that you can’t decide how anyone feels about the decision he made for him and his family.

“The reaction happened. He has to deal with it. We as a team have to deal with that as well, by the way,” Van Dijk pointed out. “But I think maybe he expected this. We have two more games and then we part ways and he will go somewhere else.”

Alexander-Arnold is widely expected to join Real Madrid at an undefined point this summer. For all his tough love, Van Dijk acknowledged the difficulty faced by his departing teammate.

“I wasn’t really expecting anything,” the Dutch skipper conceded. “It’s not easy, not at all. We’re here for him. We are gutted that he’s not here with us next year because he’s a fantastic player in my opinion, with outstanding, exceptional qualities that we have all been seeing over the last seven years I’ve been here. We’re definitely going to miss him when he’s gone.

“It shouldn’t [overshadow the title celebrations]. There are a lot more players that also deserve an amazing day. I don’t think it will.

“He made the decision for himself and he’s at peace with it. We have two more games that he will have to play a part in as well. I’m sure he will because he’s a fantastic player and then we’ll say goodbye to him.”

Slot started Conor Bradley against Arsenal in a bid to build up his experience before he assumes the role of Alexander-Arnold’s full-time successor next season. The Northern Ireland international is not quite fit or robust enough to last the full 90 minutes, but Slot insisted that he will not hesitate in calling upon Alexander-Arnold again in the coming weeks.