Trent Alexander-Arnold was left on the bench for Real Madrid's latest game against Rayo Vallecano, although the former Liverpool star might have expected to start after Jose Mourinho's recent comments
MADRID, SPAIN - SEPTEMBER 08: Trent Alexander-Arnold of Real Madrid receives instructions from head coach Jose Mourinho during the UEFA Champions League 2026/27 League Phase MD1 match between Real Madrid C.F. and FC Internazionale Milano at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on September 08, 2026 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Alvaro Medranda/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images)
Trent Alexander-Arnold was left on the bench by Jose Mourinho against Rayo Vallecano(Image: Getty Images)
Trent Alexander-Arnold might well be left wondering about his future at Real Madrid after yet another snub from Jose Mourinho.
Having started in midfield for the midweek win over Inter Milan in the Champions League, the former Liverpool vice-captain’s reprieve didn’t last long as he immediately found himself back on the bench for Los Blancos’ 4-1 win over Rayo Vallecano on Saturday.
And this time, Alexander-Arnold wouldn’t even be called upon to appear as a substitute, with Kylian Mbappe, Alvaro Carreras and Jude Bellingham ensuring Real bounced back from the previous weekend’s surprise defeat at the hands of Real Betis.
Alexander-Arnold has now started just two of his side’s six games so far this season, while he has failed to even make it off the bench on a couple of occasions.
It’s clear that Mourinho favors Denzel Dumfries at right-back following his signing from Inter Milan in the summer, although Alexander-Arnold might have expected to start on Saturday following some of his manager’s recent comments.
Mourinho recently suggested that he thought the 27-year-old worked better alongside Yan Diomande than Dumfries, having introduced the pair at the same time against Betis.
They replaced Dumfries and Arda Guler respectively, with Mourinho explaining that the decision was made due to the latter being on a yellow card.
MADRID, SPAIN - 2026/09/12: Yan Diomande (Real Madrid CF) is seen in action during the LaLiga EA SPORTS 2026/2027 match between Real Madrid CF and Rayo Vallecano.
Final score: Real Madrid 4-1 Rayo Vallecano. (Photo by Federico Titone/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Yan Diomande started for Real Madrid against Rayo Vallecano without Trent Alexander-Arnold(Image: Getty Images)
"I didn't make changes because I wasn't happy; they were to take off the players who had been booked,” Mourinho claimed. “It's better to play with Trent and Yan Diomande than with Denzel Dumfries."
Despite that insistence, Alexander-Arnold would be left on the bench for Saturday’s outing against Vallecano, even though Diomande was handed a start alongside Dumfries.
The right-back’s latest snub will raise further questions about his place at the Bernabeu under Mourinho, with the experiment to play him in midfield having seemingly also been short-lived.
“It's not the same playing with the whole field in front of you as it is with half the field in front of you and the other half behind you,” Mourinho said after the midweek win over Inter.
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“He's played there before with Liverpool and the national team, but he's not a midfielder, mainly because of the intensity.
"The specific demands of the physical work... it's a very difficult position. You need a completely different kind of engine than his, which is more typical of a positional full-back. And he gave his all.
"When he came on, he had nothing left to give. And I appreciate the effort he made for the team."
Alexander-Arnold will be hoping he can make a return to the side when Real travels to Elche on Tuesday before the Madrid derby against Atletico next weekend. Given his start to the season, it seems unlikely that he will earn a place back in Thomas Tuchel’s England squad when it’s announced later this week, having missed out on the World Cup.