‘The pressure on a hometown player can be extreme … which could make Alexander-Arnold think up’, says Deeney| All Football

THERE are several reasons why Trent Alexander-Arnold is likely to leave Liverpool this summer.

Firstly, he has achieved almost everything he could at Anfield — and if he signs off with a Treble this season, then it will truly be a case of ‘job done’.

Second, the lure of Real Madrid is a temptation that many players can never resist. This is the biggest and most famous club in the world.

But there is another reason that may play a part in his decisions – and that is the pressure placed on a hometown player which can be extreme.

I experienced that in a very different way when I joined Birmingham City, the club I had always supported.

I was 33 then, towards the end of my career and the club was in shambles then, so that’s very different to Trent on both levels.

But in an age where the ‘local hero’ has become a rarity, the added pressure can be really difficult.

When you play for your local club, everyone in the fan base thinks they know you.

Everyone thinks you should care more than the rest of the players – and, in a way, you do.

Many fans will have played Sunday league football against you as a child, or gone to school with you, or know someone in your family.

FREE FOOTBALL BETTS AND RECORD DEALS

Or they see you in Asda and want to give you advice, or want to know what’s going on.

When I was in Birmingham, my mum would go to work and every day someone would say to her, ‘Tell Troy, the Blues should do this or that’ and she would reply, ‘I haven’t telling him what to do since he was 15! ‘

And heaven help you if you went out locally on the Saturday night after a defeat, even to a low-key family, with no alcohol.

That’s sacrilege when you play for your own club.

For Trent, at a club the size of Liverpool, those issues will be further amplified.

Don’t get me wrong, playing for – and especially skipping – the club I support was one of the absolute highlights of my career.

She was right there with reaching the FA Cup final and spending five years as Premier League captain.

Leading the Blues out at St Andrew’s was the thing that most made the little boy inside my head say, ‘Wow, how did we get here? This is epic’.

It was a huge privilege — but being a local boy takes its toll.

That will be another factor for Trent, who has spent nine years as a first-teamer at Anfield and has been the highest-profile Scotsman at the club for almost all of that time.

Strangely, if or when, he signs for Real, he will have less weight because he will not be a megastar like Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Jr or Jude Bellingham.

And he won’t be the local boy. He can focus on being an excellent right back.

Trent, who is out of contract this summer, has already been getting a kick out of fans because he hasn’t signed a new contract — at a level that wouldn’t exist if he wasn’t a Liverpool boy.

This is unfair to me — and as a player I struggled to fully understand it — but it is a phenomenon that certainly exists.

I don’t think the idea of ​​achieving complete legendary status at a club is a factor among modern players, as it was in the past.

While Steven Gerrard achieved that at Anfield, he once submitted a transfer request, wanting to join Chelsea, before signing a new contract with the Reds.

And Steve McManaman is a Liverpool lad who moved to the Bernabeu and that did not damage his legacy on Merseyside, as he was regarded as a great at both clubs – having won two European Cups with the Spanish side.

I don’t think the Trent move will be made this month, despite the fact that Real have made an approach, as that really wouldn’t suit either party.

Liverpool need him as they battle on four fronts, while Trent can go for free at the end of the season, earning him a higher signing fee.

‘Sword of TWO’

Real are now moving to defend against any further big money interest from Saudi Arabia.

Trent will remain fully committed to the club for the remainder of the season, even if he is effectively serving his notice at Anfield.

Every other player in this dressing room will understand that Trent – like Mo Salah and Virgil van Dijk – is either keeping his options open or prefers another challenge elsewhere.

But being a hometown hero can be a double-edged sword.

The best thing for Trent would be to parade the Premier League trophy at Anfield – perhaps along with two or three other pieces of silverware – and then head to the Spanish sun.

RUBEN TIME TO LOOK ‘N’ LEARN

IF Manchester United can avoid a six-goal defeat at Anfield on Sunday, that would be a good effort.

That’s how bad things are at Old Trafford – and how good things are for runaway Premier League leaders Liverpool at the moment.

I think it’s a blessing in disguise for Ruben Amorim that United are having such a bad run early in his reign.

He will learn so much about his players’ characters and abilities and be able to make sound judgments about who he wants going forward.

If United had had a few more decent results after winning the Manchester derby, it would have only gone through the cracks and made it harder for Amorim to make those decisions.

He is being very honest about the situation and I feel the club needs to hit rock bottom — they are close to it but not yet.

United should flog Casemiro to Saudi Arabia and end the Marcus Rashford saga by letting him go this month, while bringing in two or three players to add the energy and desire Amorim needs.

But we can only properly judge Amorim after a full pre-season and a busy summer in and out.