Liverpool full-back says he will miss his best friend, but is still extremely proud of him
Liverpool left-back Andy Robertson has revealed that he is disappointed to lose “best mate” Alexander-Arnold, after the full-back announced his decision to end his 20-year stay at the club, 10 of those years in the first team.
“Obviously there’s a lot of emotion around it,” said Robertson. “I think it’s crucial in these moments that I don’t tell you how to feel and you don’t tell me how to feel about it.
“First of all, I’m disappointed to lose my best mate. In the game we have done it all together. He’s an amazing player and an amazing person. He’s made me a better player and that’s from the bottom of my heart. He’s taken me to levels I never knew existed, he kept pushing me through the good years. And he’s made a choice.”
The confession comes after the reaction Alexander-Arnold received from some sections of Anfield during Liverpool’s Premier League game against Arsenal. The right-back was booed by the home crowd when he came on in the 70th minute, in his first appearance since confirming his exit.
But amid talk of disappointment that a local boy considered one of the world’s best in his position is leaving his boyhood club, Robertson made it clear that while people might feel unhappy about Alexander-Arnold’s decision to leave, his legacy at Liverpool is beyond doubt.
“The trophies he’s won and the moments he’s had in history will always be there,” said the Scotland captain. “It is, of course, an emotional decision. It’s not been an easy one, of course it hasn’t, but he’s made the decision.
“It’s not nice to see a friend get booed and it wasn’t nice. But, like I said, we can’t tell people how to act. I can tell you how I feel about it.
“I’m extremely proud of him for what he’s done for this club. I love him as a friend and I love him as a player and he’ll be missed for me as one of my best friends in the game.”
