Alexander-Arnold marked his return from an ankle injury this weekend with a fantastic strike against Leicester City to secure 3 points in the club’s bid for the title. The 26-year-old is set to leave on a free transfer this summer and sign for Real Madrid once his contract expires which has been the overwhelming story despite Liverpool’s dominance.
Van Dijk stated that said moments like Sunday should not be taken for granted and that whether his teammate stays or leaves does not affect his legacy at the club.
"Whatever may happen in the future for him, that's something that he has to resolve with himself and the family, but he's a Liverpool player at this point and he's important for our team.
"He has been important throughout the whole season and today again he came back from the injury, a long one, and that's what I'm happy about... Since I joined the club, he has been a fantastic player and there's a lot of good things that he will always be remembered for if he decides to leave.”
Fans have criticized Alexander-Arnold for betraying the side and going behind the back of the club as he makes a break for Los Blancos. His passionate celebration at the corner flag as he threw off his shirt showed how much his goal meant to him and Van Dijk revealed that fans should live in the present and praise the defender while they still can.
"Listen, at this point we don't know as a group what's going to happen... There's a lot of noise around him and obviously everyone can argue if it's his own fault, it's just part of life nowadays.
"When he scores a big goal like that, I think he deserves applause for stepping up in that particular moment and to soak it all in because whether he stays or leaves, these are moments which you shouldn't take for granted to give us as a team the opportunity on Sunday to finish it off.
"I think he deserved that moment and now it's back to work and be ready for the weekend."