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Trent Alexander-Arnold might now be the second choice right-back at Real Madrid after Dani Carvajal returned to the line-up in the club's win over Real Oviedo.
Alexander-Arnold left the Reds after spending his career with the club, choosing to join the Spanish giants as a free agent. Madrid paid $13.5 million for him to join early and play in the Club World Cup.
The former Liverpool man had been quiet at that tournament while failing to make much of an impact. Now he already appears to have lost his starting place in La Liga after just one game.
Carvajal had been likely to leave the club last year, but suffered an ACL tear before they decided to give him a one-year extension despite Alexander-Arnold coming in to play the same position.
While remaining club captain, Carvajal appeared to lose his starting job to Alexander-Arnold after the latter started the first game of the season.
Liverpool's former number 66 did not have the debut he would have liked, being brought off in the second-half for Carvajal, a fan-favorite who received a huge standing ovation. In the second game of the season, Carvajal got the start and performed strongly.
According to The Athletic, sources close to Carvajal have stated that they expect him to remain in the starting 11 moving forward, suggesting he'll be first-choice above Alexander-Arnold.
Speaking on his squad selections, when asked about Alexander-Arnold being benched, manager Xabi Alonso said: "We have more than 20 players in the squad and I’m going to try to get the best out of all of them.
"Sometimes they can be starters and be important, or play just a few minutes and be important.
"I haven’t made any decisions for the next month. I want people to feel important, ready, to be there for the next game."
Carvajal has won 26 trophies at Real Madrid throughout his 12 years with the club, serving as its spiritual leader and longest-serving player.
Alexander-Arnold looks to have a fight on his hands to get the starting job back, with the potential of him moving further up the field potentially being explored by Alonso.
Liverpool.com says: "Trent Alexander-Arnold has not had the ideal start to life with Real Madrid, being substituted off on his debut against Osasuna in a difficult performance.
"While Carvajal looks to be preferred to him at this point, it's unlikely to be the case for too long due to the nature of the situation. Carvajal is in the final year of his contract and will turn 34 this season. While Carvajal is the captain and a club legend, he's not the long-term answer at the position. The club signed Alexander-Arnold to be just that."
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