Trent Alexander-Arnold is ready to be fit for Real Madrid’s visit to Liverpool next month – and is therefore expected to start against his former club at Anfield.
Alexander-Arnold has been sidelined since Real’s 2-1 win over Marseille in the Champions League a month ago after having to leave after five minutes with a hamstring injury.
That led to fears at Madrid that the right-back would be unavailable for the clash against the Premier League champions on November 4 – compounded by an injury to Dani Carvajal.
But the TimesPaul Joyce reports – through sources close to the player himself – that Alexander-Arnold expects to be back in time for the confrontation with Liverpool.
He is likely to be in action at the end of October ahead of the start of the battle against the Reds, with Xabi Alonso using Federico Valverde as right-back in the meantime.
Alonso could still face a tough decision on whether to include Alexander-Arnold in his squad to face Liverpool, given the added pressure of a return to Merseyside.
The 27-year-old is almost certain to receive a brutal reception from the home fans given the nature of his move to Madrid, where he was out of contract and routinely dodged questions about his future.
Having served as vice-captain in his final campaign at the club, it was rare for Alexander-Arnold to be involved in the public duties of the role.
He has since been replaced by Andy Robertson, with Mohamed Salah, Alisson and Alexis Mac Allister considered part of an informal leadership group within the squad.
Alexander-Arnold’s silence on his contract situation has been compounded by a series of mixed messages, including his celebrations after goals against West Ham in December, Aston Villa in February and Leicester in April.
His ‘all talk’ gesture during the 5-0 thrashing of West Ham even led Arne Slot to claim: “[That] It probably tells you enough, so I don’t think I need to say much more.
The right-back then hung his shirt on the corner flag after scoring the winner against Leicester, before dodging calls to address his situation, saying: “I’ve said all season that I’m not going to talk about my situation.”
Liverpool eventually brokered a deal worth £10 million to sell Alexander-Arnold to Real before the Club World Cup.
Alonso has indicated that his new number 12 is not yet considered as a first-choice right-back, with the Real head coach preferring his captain, Carvajal, when he is fit.
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