Alexander-Arnold benched behind a makeshift defender as Madrid future grows uncertain

Trent Alexander-Arnold’s difficult start to life at Real Madrid has taken a fresh turn for the worse, with the England international left on the substitutes’ bench during Madrid’s 4-1 win over Sevilla as José Mourinho deployed midfielder Federico Valverde and then Eder Militão — a central defender — at right-back ahead of him.

Alexander-Arnold joined Madrid in the summer of 2025, linking up with Xabi Alonso at the Bernabéu. The move quickly unravelled off the pitch, however, as Alonso departed, Álvaro Arbeloa briefly took charge, and Mourinho was eventually installed as head coach. Despite recovering from the injury problems that disrupted his debut campaign in Spain, Alexander-Arnold has been unable to establish himself under the Portuguese manager. He is yet to start consecutive La Liga matches this season and has accumulated fewer than 400 minutes of league football, with summer signing Denzel Dumfries regularly preferred at right-back.

The Sevilla game crystallised the situation. Both Alexander-Arnold and Dumfries sat unused on the bench while Mourinho turned to outfield alternatives, a moment that caught the attention of La Liga commentator Terry Gibson. “I had to smile last Sunday night,” Gibson said. “The camera cut to Dumfries and Alexander-Arnold on the bench and they looked at each other as if to say, ‘I thought this was our competition.’” Gibson added that Alexander-Arnold had never been treated as a marquee arrival at the club. “Even when he joined, the hope was that Dani Carvajal would be fit and play ahead of him. Then, when Carvajal left this summer, they signed Denzel Dumfries. But the bigger problem now is that Mourinho has moved Valverde, a midfielder, to right back.”

With five years still remaining on his contract at the Bernabéu, Alexander-Arnold is not short of security, but his slide down the pecking order has intensified speculation about a potential return to the Premier League. Former Manchester City defender Kyle Walker, speaking on talkSPORT, said he would welcome seeing Alexander-Arnold back in English football, though he cast doubt on a reunion with Liverpool. “I think he’s an unbelievable player,” Walker said. “But can he go back to Liverpool with the way that he left? I’m not too sure.”