Published: 16:57, 6 April 2026 | Updated: 16:58, 6 April 2026

It was meant to be the start of a fresh chapter, but it ended up being a testing few months for Trent Alexander-Arnold.

The Liverpool academy graduate was deeply upset by how his exit from the club played out, with fans booing him at Anfield in a relationship that ended like a messy high-school break-up, before he started life at Real Madrid while struggling for fitness.

An injury suffered against Paris Saint-Germain in one of his final appearances for the English champions meant he was somewhat short of full sharpness when he made his Los Blancos debut in the Club World Cup. Suddenly, he was playing catch-up.

The first six months with Real were pockmarked by injuries – first it was the groin, then a couple of hamstring problems, then a quad issue – and maybe rushing back too soon. His England prospects took a hit around this time as he was out of sight, out of mind for Thomas Tuchel.

Alexander-Arnold was desperate to impress then-boss Xabi Alonso, who was himself...