Arne Slot has addressed Trent Alexander-Arnold's reaction to being substituted against Brentford on Sunday after the right-back was left visibly annoyed.
The Reds continued their perfect start to the new season thanks to goals in either half from Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah at Anfield , yet it was the Liverpool defender who appeared to draw the most attention following his substitution.
After being taken off in the 72nd minute shortly after Salah had doubled Liverpool's lead, Alexander-Arnold was spotted exchanging a few words with his manager before crossing his arms and rolling his eyes once the Dutchman had returned to the touchline.
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This will have certainly raised concerns among Liverpool fans given the defender's current contract situation, yet Slot has now explained the decision to bring the star player off and why he was naturally unhappy.
As per the Daily Mail , the Dutchman said: "I understand every player wants to play 90 minutes. But the players on the bench from the start were also not really happy with my choices. We have to take care of him because we need him for the whole season."
As expected, Slot had brought Alexander-Arnold off in order to manage his minutes and provide an opportunity for his back-up, Conor Bradley , to have a run out seeing as the game was all but wrapped up by that point.
Of course, as one of the main stars in the team, Alexander-Arnold will want to play every minute of every game, yet Slot's point stands that he needs to be fit and ready for the more important games throughout the season.
Bringing him off when the game is virtually won ensures the defender avoids picking up any unnecessary injuries and tiring himself out. Granted, Liverpool don't play again for another seven days, but it's a huge match away to Manchester United that Slot will want his best right-back fit and firing for.
Liverpool fans will hope that Alexander-Arnold can get over his substitution fairly quickly and not hold any grudges against Slot, especially as he is still yet to sign a new contract extension with the Reds since entering the final 12 months of his current deal at Anfield.
The academy graduate has already attracted interest from Real Madrid and the last thing Kopites want is for the La Liga giants to have any added incentive to come and snatch him from Merseyside.
Alexander-Arnold will no doubt be one of the first names on the teamsheet for next weekend's trip to Old Trafford and is most likely set to play the full 90 minutes of the north-west derby contest.
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