Former Liverpool star Trent Alexander-Arnold has sent a clear message to his new boss, Jose Mourinho, with the defender's future hanging in the balance for this season.
KLAGENFURT, AUSTRIA - AUGUST 01: Jose Mourinho, Head Coach of Real Madrid, speaks with Trent Alexander-Arnold of Real Madrid during the pre-season friendly match between Real Madrid and Fiorentina at Woerthersee Stadion on August 01, 2026 in Klagenfurt, Austria. (Photo by Christian Bruna/Getty Images)(Image: Getty Images)
Trent Alexander-Arnold has shown his quality in his first start of the season for Jose Mourinho, as the former Liverpool star looks to kick on with his career at Real Madrid.
The 27-year-old struggled in the first year of his career at the Bernabéu after his switch from Anfield, with injuries and a lack of form limiting his ability to show the home fans exactly what he can do. Those issues have compounded over the summer, with Denzel Dumfries joining the club to compete for the right-back jersey, while Mourinho's arrival has only created further questions about his place in the team.
After being benched for the opening two games of the season, Alexander-Arnold was given a chance to shine in the third game against newly-promoted Malaga.
An assist and clean sheet followed for the star, after the manager gave him a chance to impress, having shown some of his best attributes in the match.
The clear message from the right-back was that he is good enough to compete, with his highlights being a few of the dangerous crosses that he was consistently putting in during his spell at Anfield.
The question now is whether he can build the momentum from that display to put together the sort of run in the team that he would've expected when making the move to the Spanish capital.
There are some tough games coming for Real Madrid and Mourinho's side, which could truly test whether Alexander-Arnold is capable of playing the role that the manager wants from him, with challenges in La Liga and the Champions League just around the corner.
Trent Alexander-Arnold of Real Madrid CF looks on during the LaLiga EA Sports 2026/27 match between Real Madrid and Malaga CF
Trent Alexander-Arnold impressed on his first start for Real Madrid this season(Image: (Photo By Dennis Agyeman/Europa Press via Getty Images))
Real Bets is up next in the league, a team that consistently challenges for a European place and could cause some problems, before a clash with Inter Milan in a tie that will set of the league phase of the Champions League.
If the defender can show the same sort of quality going forward and tracking back, then it will see him turn a corner from a difficult previous campaign.
As for his fellow former Liverpool teammate, Ibrahima Konate, there is still a battle for him to cement his place in the team for the long-term.
The French international started the first two matches of the season, picking up wins over Espanyol and Real Sociedad, but he was then benched for the Malaga match.
It means both players have an important few weeks ahead with regards to their place in the Real Madrid team, following on from their spells at Liverpool.