Trent Alexander-Arnold set to be instantly dropped for ‘insecure’ Real Madrid star

Trent Alexander-Arnold impressed on his return from injury – but is still set to play second-fiddle to Dani Carvajal for Real Madrid.

The England international made just his 17th appearance for Los Blancos in a 2-0 win over Valencia following a two-month spell out.

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Alexander-Arnold has endured a frustrating stop-start season in Spain following his switch from boyhood club Liverpool last summer.

The 27-year-old missed six weeks after suffering a hamstring injury in Madrid’s opening Champions League game in September.

He made his comeback in November against his former team Liverpool at Anfield that sparked a brief flurry of form.

However, Alexander-Arnold then sustained a thigh injury five appearances later that re-confined him to the treatment room.

During his second absence, Madrid manager Xabi Alonso was replaced at the helm by another ex-Liverpool star, Alvaro Arbeloa.

Following another 14 matches sidelined, Alexander-Arnold finally made his long-awaited return under the latter last weekend.

The 34-cap Three Lions star was notably sent on ahead of Carvajal against Valencia in contrast to their situations under Alonso.

Alexander-Arnold had a real issue displacing Madrid captain Carvajal at the start of the season before the pair suffered fitness issues.

The Spaniard, who is out of contract this summer, has only featured twice, both as a substitute, in the club’s last 10 matches.

As a result, Carvajal vented his frustrations to Real Madrid fitness coach Antonio Pintus after being snubbed again away at Valencia.

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Carvajal ‘struggled with Alexander-Arnold arriving’

European football expert Andy Brassell told talkSPORT.com: “I don’t think this is that unexpected, actually, because Carvajal is in a tricky place at the moment.

“He’s been in a tricky place ever since his big injury, really, that kept him out for the bulk of the season. Real Madrid, they handled it the correct way. They gave him a contract extension, even though he was out of contract, and it was a serious injury.

“But on the other hand, they’re trying to get younger, and they’ve been trying to get younger for a lot of time. And they’ve been trying to get higher earners as well.

“Now, on one hand, I have sympathy for Carvajal because he’s been there, done it all, won every trophy you can think of, time and time again. And he’s someone who’s been the spirit of Real Madrid.

“But I think he struggled with Trent Alexander-Arnold arriving anyway, because he’s seen that as a direct threat.

“Obviously, Trent Alexander-Arnold is much younger than him, a top-quality player who they’ve been looking for for a very long time, a very different sort of right-back.

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“So if they were prepared to, or if Carvajal was prepared not to play every week, it’s clear that they could fit together and that they could co-exist in the squad together.

“But it seems that Carvajal has felt a little bit insecure about this. That’s because part of it is he’s going year to year with contracts, he’s just getting one-year extensions, and he still doesn’t know whether he’s going to get one for the next season. He might be out the door, like Lucas Vazquez was.

“So I guess the moment that Trent Alexander-Arnold comes on and plays the last 15 minutes at Valencia and Carvajal doesn’t, you expect some sort of reaction.

“Carvajal is not young, he’s not naive, he knows how it looks. But the reality is that they’ve invested a lot, especially wages-wise, in Trent Alexander-Arnold for Real Madrid, and they need to get him playing, and they need to get him playing regularly and competing.

Real Madrid need to get Trent playing

“I think if you saw the job that he did for the team when he came on, especially those underlapping runs to counter Valencia’s plans to break out and try and find themselves an equaliser, it was valuable, even if it was only 15 minutes’ worth.

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“He was doing exactly the sort of job from that right-back position that Dani Carvajal could not do. He’s a battening down the hatches, defend for your life kind of defender.

“Not that he couldn’t add something from an attacking perspective, but he’s such a different right-back that given that they play the same position, they can really be much more different as footballers.

“So to see Carvajal a little bit shaken by that is no surprise at all.”

Arbeloa keen to see Carvajal at his best

Despite Alexander-Arnold’s eye-catching cameo, Arbeloa and Carvajal spoke earlier this week to clear the air, as per outlets in Spain.

Now, Carvajal is reportedly set to be restored to the starting line-up for Saturday’s match at home against Real Sociedad.

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“I speak with Carvajal every week. I see him getting closer and closer to his best form,” Madrid coach Arbeloa said on the eve of the fixture.

“He’ll have to prove it by playing, and he’ll do it soon.

“He’s had another week of training, and the person most interested in seeing him at his best is me, obviously.”

Carvajal is a ‘guarantee’ for Spain

The 34-year-old has featured for 470 minutes across just 10 Madrid appearances, four starts, this season.

And Spain manager Luis de la Fuente has discussed the veteran‘s potential inclusion in his World Cup squad this summer.

“Whether he plays or not, that’s another matter that’s not my concern. But Dani is a sure thing; we know what he’s like and, if he’s meant to be there, he’ll be. Now what’s needed is for him to get playing time and regain his confidence,” he told Cadena SER.

“When Dani is healthy, he’s one of the players who offers me the most guarantee.

“Now, that doesn’t mean that, even if he’s healthy, he has to come, because there may be other players who are in better form.”