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By TAMARA PRENN, SENIOR SPORTS REPORTER Published: 10: 14 AEDT, 5 November 2025 | Updated: 11: 50 AEDT, 5 November 2025 1 View comments Virgil van Dijk had no interest in lingering on the subject of his former team-mate Trent Alexander-Arnold, offering a curt response when Theo Walcott brought him up during their post-match interview. The former Liverpool star faced his first return to Anfield following his £10million move to Real Madrid over the summer, with tensions high well before kick-off. A mural of the defender near Liverpool's ground was defaced in the build-up to the Champions League clash, and a number of key figures at the club were asked about how they anticipated Alexander-Arnold would respond to a hostile welcome back from the fans. Arne Slot stressed that his opinions about the player were not set to change due to their sharing a number of successes together while Alexander-Arnold was vice-captain last season. And his former team-mate Ryan Gravenberch said that he planned to hug the England international before he considers him a friend. But after Liverpool sealed the 1-0 win on Tuesday evening, Van Dijk made his feelings on Alexander-Arnold's return clear. Virgil van Dijk appeared keen not to linger on the subject of ex-team-mate Trent Alexander-Arnold at full-time The defender returned to Anfield for the first time since his move to Real Madrid this summer On punditry duty for Amazon Prime, former Arsenal star Walcott was keen to find out if the captain and Alexander-Arnold had spoken ahead of the tie. 'Virg, did you get an chance to see Trent before the game? ' Walcott asked, before adding: 'There was a lot of talk about the conditions and how he would have coped tonight. 'Have you managed to see him or are you going to get a chance to see him? ' But Van Dijk appeared to be keen to shut the line of questioning down immediately, offering two clipped responses of 'no' and shaking his head, as if to make it clear he wanted to move onto a different topic. Walcott quickly obliged, in a bid to lessen the sting of Van Dijk's notably more business-like demeanour. Fans on social media noted that it seemed like the Netherlands international 'couldn't care less' about Alexander-Arnold's return. Van Dijk had previously made his feelings clear in a similar response days before the match, stating when asked whether he had spoken to Alexander-Arnold ahead of his return: 'Not much, no. Nothing personal whatsoever. 'Obviously I live my life, and he lives his life in Madrid. ' Van Dijk and Alexander-Arnold played alongside one another for a number of successful terms Arne Slot saved a hug for his old player on the heels of Liverpool's 1-0 victory against Madrid The visiting player was forced to hear the first round of boos announcing his return from the bench, after Xabi Alonso opted to start Fede Valverde ahead of him, as the manager had done over the weekend for the Clasico. He was then brought on for a brief 10-minute cameo at the end of the match, with jeers ringing around the stadium when he came onto the pitch. Fans then serenaded him with chants about Steven Gerrard, who famously opted to see out the pinnacle of his playing career with the club. Ahead of the clash, Alexander-Arnold had caught up with a number of his former team-mates before the warm-up, sharing a hug and a joke with Dominik Szobozslai on the Anfield turf. At full-time, Alexander-Arnold hugged and spoke to Arne Slot as his old Liverpool peers celebrated the much-needed win.
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