Gareth Southgate has said that Liverpool fans' positive treatment towards Trent Alexander-Arnold and his team-mates has allowed them to get over their Champions League final heartbreak.
The Reds were beaten 1-0 in Paris last Saturday by Real Madrid to end what had been a monumental season, having captured the FA Cup and Carabao Cup, and finished one point behind the eventual Premier League winners Manchester City. The only goal against Carlo Ancelotti's side came when Vinicius Junior got in behind Alexander-Arnold during the second-half.
But 24 hours later and the rapturous reception from the Liverpool fans at the open top bus parade around the city helped lift Alexander-Arnold and the rest of the Anfield dressing room. And Three Lions boss Southgate has said that the 'connection' between players and supporters has helped the right back tremendously.
READ MORE: UEFA issue apology to Liverpool supporters but Champions League final 'late arrival' claim ignored
READ MORE: Liverpool blast 'disgraceful' French minister comments and question UEFA independent report
“I have to say that Trent has taken great heart from the parade,” Southgate said, before England’s Nations League tie against Hungary in Budapest on Saturday. “I think that was a significant lift for him and the rest of the team.
“Of course they were disappointed to lose the final but I think the connection they had with the fans that day has definitely been important for him and has allowed the whole team to move on. They weren’t sure it was the right thing but now they’ve done it, they absolutely recognise it was, so I think that was a lovely moment for all of them.”
Alexander-Arnold could feature against Hungary on Saturday and then three days later against Italy but will then take his summer break after a long season which saw Liverpool play 63 games across all competitions. But despite his hectic schedule, Southgate has revealed that Alexander-Arnold wanted to feature for the international side.
He said: “I’ve had a conversation with him and Jordan Henderson ahead of their game, the final. We talked about the balance for them given that everybody else had a break coming into this camp and the seasons they’d had individually and where they felt they were.
"He wanted to come in to do the first part of this camp to keep his rhythm going and to keep his physical preparation going rather than have that dip and then try to come back up again."
