Aston Villa defender Pau Torres has claimed Trent Alexander-Arnold may not be an automatic choice to start at right-back following his high-profile switch to Real Madrid.
The England international was unveiled as the latest Galactico last week, with some taking exception to his excellent Spanish at the introductory press conference.
Real’s decision to bring Alexander-Arnold to the club was partly motivated by Dani Carvajal’s injury in October. He played just 11 times for Real following the serious knee problem, with Carlo Ancelotti regularly deploying winger Lucas Vazquez at right-back. Carvajal has recently recovered and is part of the Real squad at the Club World Cup, although the Alexander-Arnold is expected to play when Los Blancos begin their campaign against Al-Hilal on Wednesday.
But the ex-Liverpool man’s long-term place in the side looks less certain, in Torres’ eyes. Having played against Alexander-Arnold, and with Carvajal on the international stage, the Villa center-back is clear who he thinks is the better player.
“Carvajal, of course,” Torres told Spanish outlet AS. “I hope he can return to 100 percent. When he's fit, he's the best right-back in the world. He's very complete in every way, has leadership, and a commendable attitude.”
Torres also added that Alexander-Arnold needs to improve defensively if he is to succeed at the Bernabeu.
Trent Alexander-Arnold
Alexander-Arnold was unveiled as a Real Madrid player last week
“He's a great footballer, with a very good foot, a great passer with a magnificent cross and spectacular set-pieces.
“Madrid will suit him very well because it's a team that attacks a lot, and that's what he likes most. I think he'll adapt well.
“He'll have to push himself harder in the toughest matches,” the 28-year-old added. “It [defending] is not his strongest quality, and he's aware he needs to improve in that area.”
Pau Torres
Torres knows Carvajal well from his time with the Spanish international team (Image: 2025 Visionhaus)
Torres, who has earned 24 Spain caps but has not been called up to the squad since October, also thinks his international colleague Lamine Yamal should win the 2025 Ballon d’Or ahead of Mohamed Salah.
“Definitely Lamine,” said the former Villarreal man. “His impact on every game and the amount of suffering he puts his opponents through is incredible.
“He makes very difficult things look easy when you see him do them. No-one thinks he's 17 anymore because he's a seasoned and very decisive player.”
On Salah, Torres added: “He should be a clear candidate [for the Ballon d’Or] because his numbers are tremendous.
“I think he'll be penalized by not having gone further in the Champions League and that the Egyptian national team isn't very relevant internationally, but in England, he's once again been a very decisive player and should be very high in that Ballon d'Or ranking.”