Trent Alexander-Arnold suffers setback moments after Real Madrid breakthrough

Trent Alexander-Arnold hobbled out of Real Madrid’s clash with Athletic Club with a nasty-looking ankle injury.

The ex-Liverpool full-back was enjoying one of his better performances for Los Blancos before limping off in the 55th minute.

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Alexander-Arnold provided his first assist for the club when teeing up Kylian Mbappe for Real’s opener after eight minutes.

Forced off

But his night ended in pain and disappointment when Athletic midfielder Alejandro Rego inadvertently stood on his right foot.

It led to the England international bending his ankle under the pressure of Rego’s foot, which saw him fall to the ground after playing a pass forward.

The 27-year-old sat on the turf at the San Mames and stared up to the sky in frustration after picking up the injury.

He was quickly consoled by teammate Federico Valverde while club physios attended to him.

It is unknown how serious the injury is and whether he will be available for Sunday’s visit of Celta Vigo.

Failing that, Real Madrid boss Xabi Alonso will hope he can call upon the full-back for next Wednesday’s Champions League clash at home to Manchester City.

Another injury setback

Alexander-Arnold recently returned to action after suffering a hamstring injury in a 2-1 win over Marseille in September.

That kept the star on the sidelines for six weeks, bringing a halt to any early-season momentum.

Alexander-Arnold has shown signs of his old self since his return with encouraging performances in recent outings against Elche and Olympiacos.

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The match in Bilbao was his 16th appearance for Real Madrid with five coming in the Club World Cup during the summer.

Alexander-Arnold’s injury aside, it was a jubilant night for Madrid as they cruised to a 3-0 victory.

An Mbappe double and another from Eduardo Camavinga ensured the La Liga giant kept pace with leaders Barcelona who were 3-1 winners over Atletico Madrid on Tuesday.

The win sees Alonso’s men move to within a point of the Catalan side with 15 games played.

The big two appear set to battle it out for the title once again with a four point gap between Real and third-placed Villarreal.

Madrid’s fortunes lay with the form of Mbappe who took his first goal of the night brilliantly thanks to Alexander-Arnold’s inch-perfect cross-field pass.

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The Frenchman still had plenty of work to do as he picked the ball up just past the halfway line before powering towards the box and unleashing an unstoppable finish to set Madrid on their way.