Trent Alexander-Arnold Sent Warning by Real Madrid Teammate for Starting ‘Place’

Dani Carvajal is back to full fitness and eager to beat out Trent Alexander-Arnold for the starting right back job.

Trent Alexander-Arnold isn’t a penciled in starter for Real Madrid. | Ion Alcoba Beitia/Getty Images

It took just two matches into the La Liga season for an interesting battle to take shape for a spot in Real Madrid’s starting XI.

Trent Alexander-Arnold started at right back in Real Madrid’s season debut vs. Osasuna. Although Los Blancos emerged victorious from the clash, the England international had a lackluster performance in his first game at the Santiago Bernabéu.

A week later, Xabi Alonso made a number of tweaks to his lineup, including giving club legend Dani Carvajal his first start in over 10 months. Fully recovered from an ACL tear suffered in Oct. 2024, Carvajal delivered one of his trademarked performances, especially defensively. Los Blancos would go on to comfortably defeat Real Oviedo 3–0.

It’s clear Carvajal is not only still capable of performing well on the pitch, but he’s also Real Madrid’s captain and leader. Because of this, The Athletic reports that those close to the Spaniard expect him to remain a starter in Alonso’s lineup for a long time, regardless of Alexander-Arnold’s presence.

Through two games, Carvajal has looked better patrolling Los Blancos’ right flank. The former Liverpool man might need time to adjust to a new league, but Real Madrid are a team that don’t wait on anyone, they expect results immediately.

There seems to be an open competition between the newcomer and legend, a competition that could prove healthy for both players and Real Madrid as well.

Alonso continues to search for his ideal lineup in the infancy of his tenure as Real Madrid boss. However, as Carvajal begins to string together more minutes to shake-off any rust he might still be dealing with after such a lengthy absence, he’ll be an even bigger threat for the England international.

The pressure is on for Alexander-Arnold to find his form and showcase his talent, or he could spend the bulk of his first season in Spain playing second-fiddle to Carvajal. Or, Alonso could start to experiment with Alexander-Arnold in other positions.

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