An emotional Trent Alexander-Arnold said that he had “never felt so loved and so cared for than today” and admitted it has not yet sunk in that he will be leaving the club this summer, amid Liverpool’s Premier League title celebrations.

Alexander-Arnold announced earlier this month he would leave his boyhood club at the end of the season, having joined Liverpool’s academy at the age of six. The 26-year-old is expected to join Real Madrid on a free transfer this summer and sources have told ESPN the Spanish club want the right-back to join them in time to play at this summer’s Club World Cup.

He was jeered by some supporters at Anfield when he came off the bench in Liverpool’s 2-2 draw with Arsenal. However, he was given a warm reception when he was introduced at the start of the second half in the 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace at Anfield on Sunday.

The right-back was also visibly emotional at full-time, breaking down in tears with his family on the pitch.

“I didn’t know what to expect,” he told Sky Sports. “Yeah, I didn’t know what to expect. Stepping out at Anfield today after what had happened a few weeks ago, but I wanted to play for the club one more time. I said that to the manager and he trusted me to go in there at half-time and to get the reception that I got it means more than anything to me.

“I’ve played hundreds of games for the club, but I’ve never felt so loved and so cared for than today, and I found the bottom of my heart I hope that one day the fans and the supporters of this club will be able to recognise the hard work and everything that I’ve done for the team. Because there wasn’t a day, there wasn’t a minute, there wasn’t a second that I didn’t think about the team.

“From six years old to 26 now — 20 years. It’s a very, very long time but I’ve loved every single minute of it. The ups and the downs, coming through the academy, making it to the first team, then being part of the first team properly. It’s been an honour and a privilege for me to be a part of this club.”

Asked whether it has sunk in that he won’t be playing for Liverpool next season, Alexander-Arnold added: “No, because it’s all I’ve ever known. So at times you catch yourself wondering, ‘yeah you’ll be back next season’ and then you realise, no, that’s not the case because it’s changed.

“But I’ll remember these moments for the rest of my life, especially a day like today. It goes down as the best day for me in my life. A very, very special day and a very special achievement for the team and for the club.”

Arne Slot said he was thankful that the fans gave Alexander-Arnold a good send-off.

“It’s no surprise to me at all that they were brilliant again today as they were throughout the whole season as they were towards Trent,” the Liverpool head coach told a post-match news conference.

“But maybe it also helped what an unbelievable half he played. The passes he played were … If you make a highlight of this, probably it’s going to take you three, four or five minutes. The ball to Darwin [Núñez] was another level, it was next level. So he deserved it.

“Very happy for him, for everyone in and around the club that things worked out as they did and I think everybody could see how difficult he had it after the game and that tells you how hard it is to leave a club like this and that’s all we can try to do to — make it so hard for the players to leave.”