Ashley Cole has leapt to the defence of Trent Alexander-Arnold as the Liverpool vice-captain continues to find himself the subject of scrutiny. defender, who will miss Thursday’s Carabao Cup semi-final clash with Tottenham Hotspur through injury, remains out of contract at the end of the season.

Real Madrid want to sign Alexander-Arnold on a Bosman transfer after they had an approach knocked back by Liverpool regarding a mid-season switch prior to the January window.

While Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah, who are also both out of contract at Anfield, have both publicly admitted they want to stay with the Reds, Alexander-Arnold has stayed silent about his own future intentions beyond the current season.

READ MORE: Liverpool will give Arsenal £50m transfer green light after transformation complete

READ MORE: Liverpool wonderkid sold for £15m sends four-word message after scoring for seventh-tier club

His future is the subject of continued speculation as a result, which in turn has led to right-back coming in for intense criticism when not at his best.

He struggled in particular in his side’s 2-2 draw with Manchester United last month while his showing in Saturday’s 2-0 win over Bournemouth before coming off injured has also come under-fire.

But now former England international Cole, who left his boyhood club Arsenal to sign for Chelsea in controversial circumstances back in 2006, has weighed in on Alexander-Arnold’s plight and admitted he thinks the Liverpool star has been hard done by.

“Look, I have my opinion,” he said on the Football’s Greatest Podcast. “I think he’s definitely got maybe bad press from external noise that’s written in the paper.

“I know some people might say it is his own fault because it’s his agent or whatever. (But) I’m going as a player. All we do is play football.

“Whatever comes in the newspaper is out of our control. ‘I’m just here to play for Liverpool and do as well as I can’.

“And I do feel a little bit sorry for him because what he’s given Liverpool over many, many years, is the amazing performances. I don’t think you can take away the quality that Trent possesses.

“A lot of people always want to comment on the negative stuff on him or maybe, you know, he can’t defend, he can’t defend, he can’t defend.

“That’s all I hear. But again, being in the coaching environment now, I understand, well, okay, maybe that’s not his super strength.

“But what he can do with a ball, for me, what I see is, I’ve never seen a full-back possess the qualities of him with a ball at his feet in most areas of the pitch. And I think that’s what people should focus on.

“And don’t get me wrong, I’ve not been critical at times of him because we all want people to defend, right? We assume defenders, you have to defend.

“But again, football’s evolving, Liverpool and the old manager, Jurgen Klopp, must have been happy with the way Trent played. And I just felt, I think he’s a little bit hard done by at the moment.”