Trent Alexander-Arnold punished for breaking strict Real Madrid rule days after England snub

Trent Alexander-Arnold’s week has gone from bad to worse after he was benched for Real Madrid’s crunch clash against Atletico Madrid.

The 27-year-old was a surprise exclusion from Los Blancos’ starting line-up for the Madrid derby as veteran right-back and club captain Dani Carvajal retained his spot from a 4-1 win over Elche.

Getty

Thankfully, Alexander-Arnold’s omission was not because of any injury-related issues or any last-minute tactical tweaks from Madrid boss Alvaro Arbeloa.

However, there was a more alarming reason at play.

Alexander-Arnold dropped for Madrid derby due to lateness

According to Spanish publication MARCA, Arbeloa made the decision to leave Alexander-Arnold out of his line-up because the former Liverpool star was late to one of their final training sessions ahead of the Madrid derby.

The report added Arbeloa felt the move was necessary to respect the club’s code of conduct and preserve dressing room harmony.

Madrid sources later confirmed to The Athletic that Alexander-Arnold’s absence was a form of punishment after he didn’t arrive on time.

Alexander-Arnold is not the first English star at a Spanish giant to have been dropped from their tardiness this season.

Marcus Rashford found out the hard way why timekeeping is important after Barcelona boss Hansi Flick had no hesitation in dropping him due to the forward’s late arrival for a team meeting.

Rashford’s axing from the starting line-up for a LaLiga clash against Getafe came days after he scored both of Barcelona’s goals during a 2-1 win over Newcastle in the league phase of this season’s Champions League.

However, Rashford was brought on in the second half and assisted Barcelona’s third goal in the 3-0 victory over Getafe.

Getty

Alexander-Arnold’s absence from Los Blancos’ starting line-up caps off a nightmare end to the week, having been left out of Thomas Tuchel’s England squad for the March international break.

Tuchel will cast his eye over a whopping 35 players, although almost a third of the contingent will join later in the break, having been afforded some time off.

Yet there was no room for Alexander-Arnold, who has 34 England caps to his name.

The Madrid defender has not featured for the Three Lions since a World Cup qualifier against Andorra last June, meaning his absence from this year’s tournament is a very real possibility.

Speaking exclusively to talkSPORT, Tuchel confirmed he had ‘not yet’ chatted to Alexander-Arnold and was unsure if the snub meant the end of his England career.

However, Tuchel slightly changed his tune and conceded the absences of Alexander-Arnold, Ollie Watkins, and Luke Shaw should not be seen as a sign they won’t be headed to the World Cup.

“In every case, it’s individual, and they know that they’re on the long list and they know that whoever is on the long list has a chance to come to the World Cup,” Tuchel said.

“This is not a pre-decision; this is just a decision now for this camp. The competition for places is on.

“They’re different profiles; there are different reasons why we take and stick with other players. I know that it’s tough decisions, I know that it’s prominent names, I know they’re full of talent.

“But I also feel that I know what they can give us. I saw them in tournaments for England, I saw them with us in camp.”