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It’s certainly not going to plan for Trent Alexander-Arnold at Real Madrid at the moment, and you probably couldn’t blame him if he wasn’t quite in a celebratory mood like the rest of his teammates during El Clasico.
The former Liverpool vice-captain has fallen firmly out of favor at the Bernabeu. His appearance from the bench against Barcelona was his first in four games for the Spanish giant, but even then, he was only afforded a short cameo in the fourth minute of added time.
Having endured an injury-hit first season following his move from the Reds, Alexander-Arnold now seems to find himself as Real’s third-choice right-back, with Fede Valverde and Denzel Dumfries ahead of him in the pecking order at the moment.
It’s certainly not what the 28-year-old would have envisaged when he took the decision to leave his boyhood club last year, with dreams of following in Harry Kane’s footsteps by winning the Ballon d’Or.
That dream couldn’t feel much further away right now, and even a dramatic win in the biggest game in La Liga seemingly couldn’t raise his spirits.
Videos have been shared online of Real Madrid’s players celebrating what turned out to be the winner from Kylian Mbappe in the 87th minute against Barcelona on Sunday, with the majority of Los Blancos’ substitutes rushing to join in.
Alexander-Arnold though is nowhere to be seen, with fans calling his reaction into question.
At that stage of the game, the former Reds star was still on the bench, and it would be another seven minutes after Mbappe’s goal before he was called upon by Jose Mourinho, so it is possible that he may have been receiving instructions from his manager.
It won’t do anything to quell the speculation surrounding his future though. Less than a year-and-a-half into his spell in the Spanish capital, rumors are suggesting that a move back to Liverpool could be on the cards.
Pundits seem split on the idea, with some feeling that the Reds would welcome Alexander-Arnold back, while others feel the manner in which he left the club could make things difficult for him.
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Nevertheless, Jamie Carragher feels that an exit from the Bernabeu is inevitable now.
“At the moment, he’s actually third choice right-back for Real Madrid,” Carragher pointed out on The Overlap Fan Debate, brought to you by Sky Bet.
“They’re playing a midfield player at right-back, so even last night in El Clasico, Denzel Dumfries, the first-choice right-back, if you like, comes on as a sub. So when you’re third choice at a club, they’re obviously wanting you to... move on.”