While England progressed to the World Cup semi-finals in the United States, Canada and Mexico, Trent Alexander-Arnold was getting ready for a new season and a new coach at Real Madrid in Jose Mourinho.
The 27-year-old was left out of Thomas Tuchel’s squad for the tournament after a mixed first season at the Bernabeu. While that decision will have understandably stung, it has allowed the former Liverpool right-back some much-needed time to recharge as Mourinho’s rebuild gets under way.
So, how is Alexander-Arnold’s second season in the Spanish capital shaping up?
How was Alexander-Arnold’s debut season?
It was a challenging debut Madrid campaign for Alexander-Arnold — and that was reflected in his England omission.
Two muscle injuries were a factor in Alexander-Arnold being restricted to 30 appearances in all competitions last term. But he put those behind him towards the end of the season and became former Madrid coach Alvaro Arbeloa’s first-choice, ahead of then captain Dani Carvajal.
Club sources called for patience around the Englishman from the beginning, explaining that his six-year contract reflected Madrid’s confidence in him. Those same sources highlighted the emotional baggage involved in Alexander-Arnold leaving Liverpool, who he first joined as a six-year-old in 2004.
He began to settle at Madrid after Xabi Alonso’s sacking in January. Under Arbeloa, Alexander-Arnold gradually found his place, starting all of their Champions League knockout ties against Benfica, Manchester City and Bayern Munich.
Trent Alexander-Arnold established himself at Real Madrid towards the end of last season (Denis Doyle/Getty Images)
But he still faced some criticism — such as for a defensive lapse that led to Celta Vigo’s equaliser in a 2-1 away win at the beginning of March.
He was also dropped for the derby against Atletico Madrid later that month after arriving 20 minutes late for a training session. The apology he issued to staff and players and his acceptance of the punishment were praised behind the scenes.
One coaching-staff figure described Alexander-Arnold as “absolutely brilliant” with “world-class ball control, passing and shooting and good acceleration” but noted that he could also switch off at times.
They added: “If he’s on his game, he’s a better defender than he looks. He’s the sort of player who analyses the game. He’s among the five or six in the squad who enjoy it (football) the most.”
There have been some bright moments. The Bernabeu crowd have been wowed by the quality of his right foot and the five assists he has provided in all competitions.
One of those was for Vinicius Junior’s winner in the March derby; another for Kylian Mbappe’s effort in the Champions League quarter-final first leg against Bayern, which gave Madrid hope at 2-1 down.
There was also a classic moment of Alexander-Arnold vision in the second leg of that tie at the Allianz Arena — when he arrowed an inch-perfect pass into Mbappe, whose shot was saved by Manuel Neuer.
@championsleague So clean 😮💨 #UCL #BayernvsRealMadrid
How does Mourinho plan to use him?
From the very first meetings that took place in May to plan Mourinho’s new project, he asked the club to sign a right-back.
Unlike on the left side of defence, where the Portuguese coach wanted a first-choice option — which they got in signing Marc Cucurella from Chelsea — the idea on the opposite flank was to bring in a reliable player who could complement Alexander-Arnold as the expected first-choice right-back.
Mourinho and his staff see Alexander-Arnold as a “player who will be very important, with a highly versatile profile who can fulfil various roles from his position as a right-back”, according to a source, making an impact in midfield by creating numerical superiority. This has already been evident in pre-season.
Jose Mourinho wants Trent Alexander-Arnold to make an impact from midfield positions (Christian Bruna/Getty Images)
Although it is not the main plan, Mourinho is keen to try Alexander-Arnold as a midfielder — a position he regularly took up during matches for Liverpool.
Mourinho wants to make the most of his vision and long passes, harnessing the pace and attacking ability of Vinicius Jr, Mbappe and Yan Diomande, the 19-year-old winger who has joined from RB Leipzig in a deal worth up to €140million (£119m; $161m).
The same sources say Alexander-Arnold “is a very focused individual who works hard off the pitch and is very ambitious” while also having been “low-key and shy” since his arrival.
What about plans for Denzel Dumfries?
Dumfries was signed in July from Inter, with Madrid acting quickly to pay his €25million release clause. The 30-year-old Netherlands international has been brought in to provide competition for Alexander-Arnold.
Dumfries is highly regarded at Madrid for his elite experience, having been a regular for his national team with 76 caps and having started the 2023 and 2025 Champions League finals with Inter. His versatility is also a key asset — he can play at full-back or wing-back.
While sources close to Mourinho suggest he has a greater preference for a player with a profile similar to Alexander-Arnold’s, Dumfries will be given significant playing time. He stands a good chance of starting Madrid’s La Liga opener this Saturday, away to Espanyol.
Denzel Dumfries was signed from Inter this summer (Jose Manuel Alvarez Rey/Getty Images)
What’s the view from the player’s camp?
Sources with knowledge of his situation say Alexander-Arnold is enjoying working under Mourinho, adding that he has been doing everything possible to impress the 63-year-old.
The defender has benefited from a long summer of rest, training and preparation. He worked with specialists during his holidays with a view to starting pre-season as strongly as possible, and started two of Madrid’s four summer friendlies.
In fact, his work with Madrid since mid-July means this has been the longest pre-season of Alexander-Arnold’s career since breaking through at Anfield.
Given Alexander-Arnold was flung into Club World Cup action last summer after an emotional exit from Liverpool, now is the perfect time to show Madrid why they signed him.
