TAA is DROPPED by Liverpool for Carabao Cup semi-final at Tottenham

Trent Alexander-Arnold will not start for Liverpool in tonight's Carabao Cup semi-final first leg at Tottenham.

The England right-back, who has been left out for 21-year-old starlet Conor Bradley, put in one of his worst performances in a Liverpool shirt on Sunday as his side drew 2-2 with bitter rivals Manchester United at Anfield.

His poor display came just days after Real Madrid made a £20million approach for the Liverpool star, who is out of contract in the summer and still weighing up his future on Merseyside.

The £20m offer, which Madrid had hoped would bring Alexander-Arnold immediately to the Santiago Bernabeu rather than forcing them to wait until the summer for his contract to expire, was rejected by the Reds.

Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk, whose Liverpool deals also run out in the summer, have been named in Arne Slot's starting XI to face Tottenham.

The two, unlike Alexander-Arnold, have been lauded for their performances in a Liverpool shirt of late, despite question marks hanging over their respective futures.

The Carabao Cup presents Slot's first opportunity to lift silverware at Anfield with the Dutchman having taken over from Jurgen Klopp at the end of last season.

Slot's Liverpool sit at the summit of the Premier League with a six-point lead and game in hand over Arsenal in second, while also holding top spot in the Champions League group phase.

The Dutchman's decision to drop Alexander-Arnold could be as much to get him out of the spotlight as it is to do with his poor performance against United, given he was given a barrage of abuse at Anfield and online on Sunday.

He gave away the ball to Lisandro Martinez which led to the Red Devils' first goal of the contest and was later substituted after failing to win a single duel.

Mail Sport's Lewis Steele heard one fan shout 'if you don't wanna be here Trent, f*** off' after Martinez's goal in the 52nd minute.

To make matters worse, Roy Keane slammed the England star for his 'schoolboy' defending and afterwards Slot was forced to bat away suggestions that his links to Real Madrid had affected his performance.

Several Liverpool fans would argue that Alexander-Arnold has had a strong season so far, having registered five assists for Liverpool and broken back into the England side.

But the right-back risks tarnishing his Liverpool legacy with more drab performances should he ultimately decide to sign with the LaLiga giants.

After the Premier League clash on Sunday, Reds legend Jamie Carragher suggested that Alexander-Arnold or his representatives had encouraged Real Madrid to bid for him in the January transfer window.

He claimed that the Spanish club would never have submitted an offer unless they had been given some form of assurance that the star would be interested in joining.

'They're bullies, Real Madrid. My problem with it is, they have bid on the back of Trent Alexander-Arnold or his agent saying "put a bid in". Because they wouldn't put a bid in, they wouldn't do that unless they get the say so,' Carragher told the Gary Neville Podcast last week.

'But all those parties know Liverpool are going to turn that down anyway, so what are you trying to create? What noise are you (trying to make)? Liverpool are not going to sell Trent in January going for a league title.

'What I'm saying is, let's not be naive here. No one puts bids in now unless they've already spoken to the player about it. If it gets accepted, would you come? People know before they put bids in. And there's obviously been talks.'