Virgil van Dijk admits Liverpool are ‘gutted’ by Trent Alexander-Arnold’s decision to leave.
Alexander-Arnold endured widespread boos and jeers during his first outing since announcing he will become a free agent when his current deal expires.
Arne Slot has already insisted that the England international will not be stood down for the club’s final two games despite the overwhelming fan backlash.
And Van Dijk believes that Alexander-Arnold’s impending exit is a situation which the Premier League champions will shoulder as much as the player..
He said: “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. But I think maybe he expected this.
“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 but we’ve still got two games to go.”
Alexander-Arnold cited a new challenge in his desire to cut ties with Anfield at a time when Van DIjk and Mohamed Salah have newly extended their stays.
But the Liverpool captain insists the trio’s respective situations are incomparable, who remains strongly linked with a move to Real Madrid.
“Everyone has different opinions or different phases of their career so you can’t compare our situation – me and Mo in this case – with Trent,” added Van Dijk.
“I was very happy to eventually come to an agreement with the club. Obviously it’s not really a Liverpool thing to go about it the way we did with me and Mo.
“But, like I said when it was announced, I’m happy and proud to extend because for me there is no other place to be at this point.
“Everyone shares different opinions and he feels like he has done it all – and he did it – and he wants to try something different.
“You are speaking about one of the biggest clubs of all in Real Madrid, who he might go to as I read in the media. The decision is made.
“We are all gutted, players as well, as he is a fantastic player and made so many decisive moments over the years and has been a great player in the squad.
“When the final whistle is there we will miss him after that but we still have two more games, the trophy lift and a parade.
“So there are plenty of moments we can share together and then we will see what happens.”