Trent Alexander-Arnold got the Liverpool supporters against him, when he chose to turn his back on his youth club when his contract expired. Liverpool had invested heavily in developing their academy player, many saw it as football betrayal to leave Anfield as a free agent, in order to collect a gigantic sign-on fee at Real Madrid (not disclosed). In recent months, there has been speculation that there could be a return to Anfield, this week there are signals that life at Real Madrid did not get any easier for the 28-year-old with Jose Mourinho on the sidelines.
If you ask Liverpool supporters what they think of Trent, you’ll probably get a grumpy grunt in response. One of the club’s big stars who went all the way from the academy, contributed greatly to Premier League and Champions League titles, saw his exit from Anfield as a free agent in the summer of 2025. If you ask the same supporter what the playing situation is like at right-back after the exit, the answer is likely: We still haven’t been able to replace Trent.
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While at Liverpool, Alexander-Arnold established himself as one of the best right-backs in the world. It was expected that the England international would take his game to the next level, as he left Liverpool for Real Madrid in the summer of 2025. It turned out that Liverpool and Trent needed each other to deliver at the top level.
Madrid signed Denzel Dumfries from Inter Milan in the summer, Alexander Arnold has only started three games in La Liga so far this season and has only played once in the Champions League under Madrid manager Jose Mourinho so far this season.
Mourinho has already stated that he does not think Alexander-Arnold is good enough to play in midfield for Madrid., On Sunday night, the Portuguese boss showed the clearest sign so far that he does not think Alexander-Arnold is a good right-back either.
Madrid easily beat Sevilla 4-1 at the Bernabéu in La Liga. Neither Alexander-Arnold nor Dumfries started the game at right-back.
Mourinho used Federico Valverde at right-back despite the Uruguayan international being a midfielder, Alexander-Arnold didn’t even come on as a substitute, despite being fully fit and available.
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After the game, Mourinho said of using Valverde as a right-back: “This is Valverde, one of the most versatile players in football; he can play anywhere and at an extremely high level. He delivered a first-class performance; it’s not easy for a manager to leave two quality full-backs on the bench, but I felt that behind Endrick I would really benefit from having a full-back who could drop deep and who was also able to play well,” Mourinho stated.
Trent Alexander-Arnold was back in the England squad in September, but as a clear non-favourite with Jose Mourinho, a continuation at Real Madrid could once again set his international career back.
Coaching legend Sam Allardyce believes Alexander-Arnold and Liverpool should find their way back.
“At 28, Trent still has years ahead of him. This is his best time. He’s at Real Madrid and his experience there should make him even better than he was when he left Liverpool, even though he hasn’t played as often as he’d like. If he’s going to be a Real Madrid player, he’s going to have to play more than ever this season – if not, he should come back to the Premier League – Liverpool could need him back. He’s capable of opening up the opposing team,” Allardyce said on the No Tippy Tappy podcast.
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