Liverpool full-back Trent Alexander-Arnold wound up the butt of a joke involving Roy Keane and Tranmere Rovers following Sunday’s unexpected Premier League draw with Manchester United.

Alexander-Arnold, although hailed for his technical ability going forward, has often come under fire for the defensive side of his game.

That weakness was exploited by United and Keane didn’t hold back during post-match coverage on Sky Sports, poking fun at the ongoing transfer links with Real Madrid and suggesting such performances would be more at home in League Two.

“It’s too easy, just a couple of balls over the top,” Keane said during the broadcast.

“Trent’s defending, it’s like schoolboy stuff. Talking about going to Real Madrid, he’ll go to Tranmere Rovers after this.”

Tranmere’s social media team saw an opportunity, responding on X, formerly Twitter.

“Trent to Tranmere, Roy? Nah, we’re alright thanks,” the official club account posted alongside an image of starting right-back Cameron Norman.

The jibe has been seen two million times, reposted more than 7,000 times, with 45,000 ‘likes’.

Alexander-Arnold’s future remains uncertain, out of contract at Liverpool in the summer and currently on course to leave the club as a free agent into the arms of Real Madrid. The European champions have also unsuccessfully attempted to take him to Spain sooner.

The 26-year-old has a huge decision to make at a crucial moment in his career. Gary Lineker, who has experience swapping England for Spain after joining Barcelona in 1986, recently suggested that the criticism of Alexander-Arnold’s defending would be less prevalent in La Liga.

“He will love it [in Spain]. It will be amazing. They’ll worship and appreciate his passing range. He is in the prime of his career,” Lineker said on The Rest is Football in December.

“I wouldn’t begrudge him. It seems to make a lot of sense to me. Free transfer is how Real Madrid have done things recently. He is really close to Jude Bellingham and would fit in beautifully. He would be a massive success. They wouldn’t focus on his defending critically as we do here, in my opinion.”

READ THE LATEST LIVERPOOL NEWS, TRANSFER RUMOURS & GOSSIP