Liverpool FC defender and England international Trent Alexander-Arnold has reportedly hired a private detective as well as a bodyguard due to his ongoing ordeal concerning an obsessed fan.
A woman has reportedly been stalking the footballer for what has now been over a year. It is unclear if Alexander-Arnold was personally acquainted with the woman before she started stalking him, but it is understood that she knows where he lives and has gotten hold of his phone number as well as those of some of his family members.
As a result of the intrusion, the footballer has had to change his mobile phone number. Apart from that, he has also installed CCTV cameras around his home. As an an extra precaution, his social media posts are now being screened. He has been advised not to post anything that would give out too much information, including real-time updates about his whereabouts. For obvious reasons, such posts would give the stalker crucial information that she can use to stalk him.
According to a report from Sun Sport, the woman has been sending obscene letters and other sexually-charged materials to Alexander-Arnold. She has shown up uninvited at his Cheshire home, and at Liverpool's training ground. Apart from that, she has even followed him to restaurants that he frequents around town.
She allegedly sends him explicit messages, and did not stop there. She also sends the same type of unsolicited messages to members of his family.
Liverpool management has been made aware of the situation, and the club is providing Alexander-Arnold its full support amid the ordeal. The player has been doing his utmost to not let the situation affect his performances on the pitch. In fact, he bore the burden privately before news of the stalking became known to the public.
It is still unclear if the police are directly involved in the situation, and if the footballer has lodged a legal complaint.
The 26-year-old will reportedly be out of action for another month, as confirmed by Liverpool. He is battling a recurring knee injury which already kept him out for three weeks, previously.
This means that he will be out of the squad when the Reds face Chelsea at the Carabao Cup final at Wembley this weekend. Manager Jurgen Klopp will be hoping that he recovers quickly so that he can be available for the home stretch of the season where he will be needing as many of his players available for selection as they battle for titles. At the moment, they are on top of the Premier League table, just four points ahead of Manchester City and five points ahead of Arsenal, who both have a game in hand.
