6 days ago
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Dani Carvajal will be sidelined until January due to a knee injury, handing Trent Alexander-Arnold the opportunity to nail down the right-back spot in Real Madrid's team in the coming weeks.
Alexander-Arnold joined Madrid in June but it's fair to say the move hasn't gone to plan so far – the 27-year-old has started just twice for his new club.
That is partly down to a hamstring injury, but it is also because Carvajal still seems to be ahead of the former Liverpool full-back in the pecking order.
Alexander-Arnold was an unused substitute in El Clasico over the weekend, with Xabi Alonso starting Federico Valverde at right-back against Barcelona, and turning to Carvajal ahead of Alexander-Arnold as a second-half substitute.
Alonso will be without Carvajal until 2026 now, though. A Madrid statement said: "Following tests carried out on our captain Dani Carvajal by Real Madrid's medical services, he has been diagnosed with a loose body in his right knee. Carvajal will undergo arthroscopic surgery."
Meanwhile, plenty has been made of Liverpool's struggles without Alexander-Arnold in recent weeks as a result of the club's disappointing run of form.
Earlier this month, former Liverpool star Jamie Carragher said that the team was missing his creative influence.
"It sounds odd to say it, but [Florian] Wirtz was signed to replace Trent Alexander-Arnold – a No 10 to provide the passing range and creativity of a unique full-back," Carragher said in his column for The Telegraph.
"He is yet to add what Liverpool are missing without Alexander-Arnold, while at the same time the team has lost the intensity which made them so difficult to play against.
"It means Slot has a dilemma as he tries to defend the title going through a transitional phase that might take longer than many thought.
"He must decide whether to regroup and temporarily revert to the strategy of last season, accommodating Wirtz in a different role or leaving him out entirely until he is up to speed with English football."
Since those comments from Carragher, Slot has kept his faith in Wirtz but Liverpool's season has not improved, with the Reds having lost to Chelsea, Manchester United and Brentford.
Next up for Liverpool is a Carabao Cup meeting with Crystal Palace. Palace has a good record against Liverpool already this season, having got the better of the Reds in the Community Shield and the Premier League earlier in the campaign.
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