Trent Alexander-Arnold appears to have lost his starting place at Real Madrid, with Denzel Dumfries impressing on his La Liga debut. The former Liverpool defender joined the Spanish giants as a free agent last summer and initially struggled to make an impact.
Across his first full season, Alexander-Arnold made 36 appearances and provided seven assists. The 27-year-old also dealt with injury issues throughout the campaign, missing 22 games in total due to a muscle tear and hamstring problems.
Dumfries arrival shifts pecking order
The right-back could now face another difficult season after Jose Mourinho returned to Real Madrid in the summer. One of his first transfer moves was to sign Dumfries, who arrived in a £17.1m (€20m) deal from Inter Milan.
Several Spanish media outlets have delivered their verdicts on Alexander-Arnold's return to La Liga action against Espanyol on Saturday. Real won 2-1 with goals from Jude Bellingham and Carlos Espi. Alexander-Arnold was brought on in the 80th minute and received a moderate reception from the press.
Spanish media reactions
Marca gave the defender a 5/10 rating, stating he came on because Real needed "much more in attack." The same outlet rated Dumfries highly, noting: "Dumfries goes all out and takes down Dolan. He lowered his center of gravity, stuck out his leg, and the interception was top-class. Defensively, he's a marvel. He's replaced by Trent in the 80th minute. A good league game from the Dutchman. Far superior defensively... but a bit more lost in attack, although he tried throughout."
AS believed the England international was brought on to "try and find Espi" with his accurate crosses. However, the defender was "hardly involved" and did not meet the outlet's expectations. AS also praised Dumfries, writing: "A starter in the first game of the season, he's ahead of Trent in the pecking order. And he justifies it with his performances: he's intense defensively and, above all, he attacks with great enthusiasm. On a day like this, when Güler was playing as a winger but with a strong presence centrally, it was crucial that the Dutchman push forward down the flanks. He made several dangerous runs into the opposition's penalty area. And defensively, he was crucial in some situations towards the end."
Future role at the club
Mundo Deportivo claimed that Mourinho "prefers Dumfries" over Alexander-Arnold and signed him this summer to be his "replacement" in the starting XI. They added that the defender will be viewed as an "alternate" in the squad when the Real boss is looking for something different to change the game.
Sport agreed that Dumfries "won the starting spot" battle against Alexander-Arnold but noted that his role in the squad "depends" on what Mourinho wants from his team this season. The outlet was the most complimentary toward the Englishman, stating that he was "trying to get involved" and "provide quality" for Espi. The report added that Alexander-Arnold will be "more effective" centrally, suggesting Mourinho could shape the 27-year-old into a more central player this year.
