Michael Owen sets record straight on Trent Alexander-Arnold transfer – 'Fans will never get it'

Trent

Michael Owen says he "didn't like" some of the fan reaction to Trent Alexander-Arnold'stransfer from Liverpool to Real Madrid.

The former Red has also claimed that fans "will never get it", regarding a lack of loyalty in the beautiful game.

Alexander-Arnold entered last year's Premier League title-winning campaign in the last 12 months of his contract at Anfield and decided against penning a new deal, instead opting to take the next step of his career with Los Blancos.

Liverpool still managed to secure £10million for the 26-year-old homegrown talent by letting him join Real prematurely so that he could represent his new side in the Club World Cup.

But some fans shared their discontent with Alexander-Arnold making the move to the La Liga giants instead of staying loyal to Liverpool.

The star faced a chorus of boos during Liverpool's home clash with Arsenal in May - the first game he played after announcing that he would be leaving the club - while social media was also awash with jabs by select fans

Owen, who also left Liverpool for Real Madrid, has expressed his discontent with the reaction to Alexander-Arnold's decision.

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During an appearance on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast, the 45-year-old said:

Owen

"I didn't like it. I understand it, of course.

We understand it because we live it and we've lived it all our life and we're in and around football.

“But fans will never get it because they've got a badge there and until the day they die, they will always support that badge.

"And no matter what the club do, they might do wrong. And a lot of clubs do do wrong to their players and things like that.

“They will never have a crossword against their club. Now, it's our career, it's our life."

Owen also used Jack Grealish's 2021 switch from Aston Villa to Manchester City as another example of a player who has been lambasted for parting ways with his boyhood club.

Owen added: "And I go back to someone like Jack Grealish.

"The Aston Villa fans booed him and are quite nasty actually to this day against him.

“And I couldn't believe when I was watching him play against them and it made me feel physically sick.

"Here's a kid that's been there since he was a baby, like seven or something. Come through the ranks, they were rubbish. They were in the Championship. He's literally, I don't care."

He added: "Dragged up single-handedly. Literally, if ever there's been a one-man team in the last 15 years in football, I would say it was him at Villa. Dragged them up single-handedly, capped in the team, 100 million.

"He's gone... like, if he didn't do that, if he said no to Manchester City, what would our game be like? What would football be like? It'd be rubbish. Everyone moans about that it's for money all the time.

"Here's people that actually show a bit of something. A bit of risk. New language, new teammates, new country, new food, new weather, new everything. It's like a big risk.

“He could have sat there and so could have Jack Grealish, so could have you and so could have loads of people.

"But imagine what the game would be like if we didn't have these people that actually try to make something of their lives.

“I'm having a conversation with you about playing for Real Madrid with some of the great players. I've had an experience in my life."

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