Trent Alexander-Arnold told World Cup dream is over after Real Madrid injury blow

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.

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.

Reports in Spain have since emerged that the former Liverpool vice-captain will be sidelined for ‘two months’ with his latest problem.

Reacting to that news on Thursday, Darren Bent told talkSPORT Drive: “He’s not going to go to the World Cup, is he? Trent.”

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.

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World Cup dream over?

Alexander-Arnold will now face a race against time to force his way into Thomas Tuchel’s plans ahead of the World Cup next summer.

The England boss will oversee his final pre-tournament camp during the March international break, a month after Trent is set to return.

The right-back recently ranked as having made the worst start of 10 English stars to have completed overseas transfers last summer.

It comes after talkSPORT’s Adrian Durham warned Alexander-Arnold that he may never get back into the Three Lions starting XI following Chelsea captain Reece James’ impressive performances against Andorra and Serbia in September.

Tuchel even hinted that ex-Liverpool star Jarell Quansah is even ahead of the Real Madrid defender in his pecking order.

Alexander-Arnold has won just a single cap under the former Chelsea boss and has not been included in a Three Lions squad since June.

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Alexander-Arnold’s latest injury came after he had shown signs of his old self since his return, with encouraging performances in recent outings against Elche and Olympiacos.

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.