It is always helpful to imagine how the actions of a footballer might be perceived in real life, away from the moral codes of the sport. After unpunished violent conduct in a pre-VAR age you would sometimes hear about “being arrested if you did that on the street”.

Trent Alexander-Arnold looks almost certain to complete a free transfer to Real Madrid this summer. The full-back has already bid goodbye to Liverpool fans thro

A deal for the right-back, 26, to join the La Liga side has now entered its final stages and is on course to be signed in the coming weeks.