Sawt Falasteen - Trent's return with Real Madrid reminds Liverpool of what they are missing

Just metres from where the England international will enter Anfield, there still stands a giant mural of him decked in red alongside the quote: "I'm just a normal lad from Liverpool whose dream has just come true."

Alexander-Arnold's journey from supporter to two-time Premier League winner and Champions League glory was a fairytale.

But for much of the Liverpool support, his exit after running down his contract, meaning the Premier League champions received only a nominal fee, soured his legacy.

Alexander-Arnold was even booed at times in the final few months of his Liverpool career, despite his contribution to the club's only two league titles since 1990.

On finally announcing his departure in May, the defender, now 27, said it was "easily the hardest decision I've ever made in my life".

A frosty reception is almost guaranteed on Tuesday should he feature for the first time as a visiting player at his former home.

Alexander-Arnold said he had "mixed emotions" over his return and that he would not celebrate if he scored.

The defender said it was up to the fans how they react, adding that he will "always love the club".

"No matter what, my feelings won't change towards Liverpool," he told Amazon Prime.

"I've got memories there that will last me a lifetime and, no matter how I'm received, that won't change."

The heightened emotions around the exit of the player Liverpool fans used to serenade as the "Scouser in our team" took the focus away from how much of a loss Alexander-Arnold would be on the field.

He was just one cog in a major summer overhaul of Arne Slot's squad, but is arguably the most missed of the band of players to leave in the transfer window.

Slot has regularly been forced to drop his best-performing midfielder this season, Dominik Szoboszlai, back to right-back as neither Conor Bradley nor Jeremie Frimpong have been able to fill the void left by Alexander-Arnold.

- Injured and dropped -

Although much criticised for his one-on-one defending, Alexander-Arnold was so sought after because of what he brought going forward.

He departed as the defender with the most assists in Premier League history thanks both to his exquisite range of passing and precise set-piece delivery.

Mohamed Salah in particular has struggled to adjust without the service of his partner down the Liverpool right for the past eight seasons.

A run of six defeats in eight games has highlighted just how much Alexander-Arnold is being missed.

Yet he is struggling to adapt to life at Real Madrid.

Alexander-Arnold has not featured for Los Blancos since suffering a hamstring injury in Madrid's Champions League opener against Marseille on September 16.

Since his return to fitness, and in the absence also of the injured Dani Carvajal, manager Xabi Alonso has preferred midfielder Federico Valverde at right-back.

Alexander-Arnold watched El Clasico from the bench for the full 90 minutes last week as Madrid beat Barcelona 2-1 to extend their lead at the top of La Liga.

Alonso has little incentive to change his line-up at Anfield, with the 15-time European champions also off to a perfect start in the Champions League, with three straight wins.

But Alexander-Arnold is desperate for minutes on the pitch.

A lack of game time has contributed to his exclusion from Thomas Tuchel's last two England squads, just months away from the World Cup.

One of the reasons he reportedly decided to join Madrid's galaxy of stars at the Santiago Bernabeu was to boost his chances of winning the Ballon d'Or.

It is early days but so far the grass has not proved greener in the sunnier climes of Spain.

F.AbuZaid--SF-PST