Trent Alexander-Arnold appears to have lost his starting place at Real Madrid following solid performances by Dumfries in La Liga. The former Liverpool right-back joined the Spanish giants on a free transfer last summer and initially failed to make an impression.

In his first full season, Alexander-Arnold made 36 appearances and provided 7 assists. The 27-year-old has been plagued by injuries throughout the season, missing a total of 22 matches due to muscle tears and hamstring problems.

This season, the right-back could face new challenges as José Mourinho returned to Real Madrid this summer to take the reins of the Spanish giants. One of his first decisions in the transfer market was to sign Dumfries from Inter Milan for £17.1 million (€20 million).

Now, several Spanish media outlets have evaluated Alexander-Arnold's performance in La Liga against Espanyol on Saturday. Real Madrid won 2-1 with goals from Bellingham and Diego Carlos.

Alexander-Arnold came on as a substitute in the 80th minute, and the assessment from Spanish media was rather lukewarm.

Below, the Liverpool Echo examines the Spanish reaction, with local media suggesting he could now be José Mourinho's second choice at right-back.

Marca gave the right-back a rating of 5 out of 10 and stated he came on as a substitute because Real Madrid needed "more in attack".

The outlet's evaluation of Dumfries was as follows: "Dumfries gave everything, dealing with Dorlan. He lowered his body and stretched his leg to make the interception, handling it excellently. Defensively, he was exceptional. In the 80th minute, he was replaced by Trent. The Dutchman played a good league match. His defensive abilities are far superior to Trent's... but he was somewhat lost in attack, even though he tried throughout the match."

Meanwhile, AS thought Arnold was introduced to "create chances for Espi" with precise crosses. However, the defender "barely participated in the game" and did not meet the outlet's expectations.

But it was the praise Dumfries received that should concern Alexander-Arnold. The evaluation stated: "He started the season's first match, already ahead of Trent. He proved it with his performance: he was aggressive defensively, and especially in attack, he showed great enthusiasm. In a match like this, Güler played on the wing but was very present centrally, so Dumfries's projection down the flank was crucial. He made several dangerous runs into the opposition box. Towards the end of the match, he also played a key role in some defensive situations."

Mundo Deportivo stated that new manager José Mourinho "prefers Dumfries" to Alexander-Arnold and signed Dumfries this summer to be the starter at right-back. The outlet also stated that the right-back would be considered a "backup option" in the team when the Real Madrid manager wanted to alter tactics.

Sport also felt that Dumfries had "won his place" in the competition for the starting role with Alexander-Arnold, but also noted that his role in the team "depends" on Mourinho's requirements for the team this season. However, this outlet gave the most positive evaluation of the English player, stating he "tried to get involved in the game" and "delivered quality passes for Espi".

The report also stated that Alexander-Arnold would be "more effective" playing centrally, suggesting that Mourinho could try converting the 27-year-old into a more central player this year.

Traduit par IA.

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