Arne Slot explains why he keeps substituting Trent Alexander-Arnold for Liverpool

Arne Slot has explained why he has substituted Trent Alexander-Arnold in each of Liverpool’s games so far this season.

The Dutchman’s decision to bring Alexander-Arnold off in the Reds’ second game against Brentford in particular caught a lot of attention when the 25-year-old did not seem to take kindly to the change . Slot was seen speaking to his right-back on the bench after bringing him off that day.

Alexander-Arnold appeared to be in better spirits though when he was taken off during Liverpool’s win over Manchester United . The Reds’ vice-captain though is yet to complete a 90 minutes for his club this season.

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He did, however, play every minute for England during the international break, winning the player of the match awards for both of his performances against the Republic of Ireland and Finland at Wembley .

Slot has now admitted he could have perhaps played Alexander-Arnold for a full 90 minutes against Brentford or United, but with Conor Bradley acting as backup, the Liverpool boss will have no hesitation to make the change again if needed.

"He [Alexander-Arnold] proved he could do 90 minutes, but maybe he could have done it before that as well,” Slot explained ahead of Saturday’s game against Nottingham Forest. “In the Ipswich game, I saw that he became a bit tired towards the end of the game, but he played two games afterwards so he is completely ready to play 90.

“Sometimes, in the beginning, it was that I saw he was tired, and sometimes it’s also having another player like Conor Bradley who can do the job really well. He’s able to play 90, he showed, like all the others, that I have a whole team to manage and a whole team to prepare for the season, and it’s also good for Conor to get his playing minutes, or for the one who comes in for Mo or anyone else. I have to prepare the whole squad for the upcoming fixtures.”

Liverpool.com says: In Slot’s defense, the only reason eyebrows have been raised over his decisions to substitute Alexander-Arnold this season is because of the defender’s reaction against Brentford. Let’s face it, bringing off one of your most important players when you’re in a comfortable lead isn’t exactly the most controversial decision.

And nor should Slot feel obliged to play Alexander-Arnold for the full 90 tomorrow just because he did so for England. The Liverpool boss will have to manage everyone’s minutes over the next few weeks as fixtures come thick and fast, there’s no way he’ll want to risk an injury to such an important player.