Trent Alexander-Arnold has been advised to "come back" to Liverpool with his position at Real Madrid under threat after a mixed start to the new season under Jose Mourinho
Trent Alexander-Arnold of Real Madrid.
Trent Alexander-Arnold of Real Madrid.(Image: Grzegorz Wajda/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Former Premier League manager Sam Allardyce says Trent Alexander-Arnold should return to Liverpool, with his role at Real Madrid this term yet to fully become clear.
A year after signing the Scouser, Los Blancos brought in another right-back option in Denzel Dumfries. Jose Mourinho even trialed Alexander-Arnold in midfield in a recent Champions League fixture against Inter Milan, and he has been in and out of the team.
But Allardyce believes that a return to Liverpool should be something he considers, even though there is no suggestion of that being a possibility — or that Alexander-Arnold is looking to move on.
"At 27, Trent still has years ahead of him," Allardyce said on the No Tippy Tappy Football podcast.
"This is his prime. He’s at Real Madrid, and his experience there should stand him in good stead to be even better than he was when he left Liverpool, even though he hasn’t played as often as he would’ve liked.
"If he is going to be a Real Madrid player then this season he needs to be playing more than ever — if not, he should come back to the Premier League. Liverpool could do with him back.
Trent Alexander-Arnold of Real Madrid.
Trent Alexander-Arnold of Real Madrid.(Image: Oscar J. Barroso/Europa Press via Getty Images)
"He's capable of opening the opposition up. There have always been question marks over has defending, and rightly so.
"But that’s the same for most right-backs now. They stand with their hands behind the backs and don’t stop crosses.
"When Liverpool weren’t quite as good under Jurgen Klopp as they had been for a few years and they started conceding more goals, his defending got pointed out by everyone. He’s not much worse than most other full-backs.
"His quality on the ball and ability to open up the opposition, whether it’s with short or long passes, are massive assets to England. I’m glad to see him back."
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This week, Alexander-Arnold is likely to get another chance to impress with the England national team. He was left out of the World Cup, but Thomas Tuchel has now recalled him.
Liverpool.com says: Alexander-Arnold doesn't appear to be in any rush to leave Real Madrid, and he should still have the quality to make it work in Spain.
Suggestions that he could return to Liverpool are always going to be there, but it feels unlikely. For one thing, it would require a decent transfer fee, when he chose to run his contract down.