Alexander-Arnold third-choice at Real Madrid as Mourinho favours Valverde
Trent Alexander-Arnold has fallen to third choice at right-back for Real Madrid under Jose Mourinho, raising questions about his future at the club and with England.
Trent Alexander-Arnold's first full season at Real Madrid has left him as third-choice right-back, with manager Jose Mourinho preferring midfielder Fede Valverde in the position ahead of both Alexander-Arnold and Denzel Dumfries, the summer arrival from Inter Milan. The England international has featured in seven of Real's 13 games this season, starting only four and recording a single assist in a 4-0 home win over Malaga. His involvement has shrunk recently: he did not play against Roma, Sevilla or RB Leipzig and appeared only as a stoppage-time substitute in the Clasico.
Alexander-Arnold joined in June 2025 after Real paid 10m euros to secure his early release from Liverpool so he could feature at the Club World Cup. He made a strong first impression by delivering his arrival speech in Spanish, and his signing was seen as part of a succession plan behind veteran Dani Carvajal. His debut campaign fell short, however: he made 21 La Liga appearances, 14 of them starts, as hamstring, thigh and pre-season muscle problems disrupted his rhythm, while managerial changes from Xabi Alonso to Alvaro Arbeloa added further instability.
Mourinho has acknowledged the awkwardness of leaving established players out, saying it pains him to make players feel bad but that the team's needs come first. He explained that shifting Valverde to right-back and changing the midfield was a decision taken for the team, and said Alexander-Arnold and Dumfries accepted the reasoning. Mourinho has also pointed to Alexander-Arnold's versatility, deploying him in central midfield against Inter Milan in September and praising his tactical interpretation, while stressing that rotation will be necessary across a long season.
Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher, speaking on The Overlap, said he would welcome Alexander-Arnold back at Anfield and argued the move to Madrid was a mistake, adding that Liverpool have missed his creativity. Carragher also noted that a midfield player is being used at right-back and that Dumfries came off the bench in El Clasico, suggesting a club would want a third-choice player to move on. That is supporter- and pundit-level opinion rather than a statement of club intent.
Alexander-Arnold, who turned 28 and is under contract until 2031, has three games before the international break in which to press his case. He will also hope to keep his place in Thomas Tuchel's England squad, due to be announced on 6 November before Nations League fixtures against Croatia and Spain, having been recalled in September after an absence dating to June 2025. Limited club minutes could count against him given the competition at right-back.
Image: Getty Images / BBC Sport
