Alexander-Arnold's career at Real Madrid is yet to really get going as he suffered a hamstring injury in September and has not featured for the club since then. The defender started on the bench for Real Madrid against Liverpool, with manager Xabi Alonso having told the former Red to enjoy his time back on Merseyside.
"We haven’t spoken about that precisely [the reception that awaits Alexander-Arnold] but we have spoken about the team and the club," he told a pre-match press conference. He has to have his own feelings and enjoy it his own way. So I am not going to say how he needs to feel it. For sure his history is different from mine, he was born and bred in Liverpool. I remember him from a young age in the academy and then coming to the first team and winning the Champions League. So he needs to enjoy the moment because it is nice to be back.
"He is good. He didn’t play [against Valencia on Saturday] because of the context of the game but he is available for any number of minutes. Tomorrow he may play and after the injury he had we need his qualities; he has great qualities. He is in a new stage for him – sporting, physically and mentally. We need to give him what he needs because he is an exceptional player that we have in our squad. So he needs to enjoy the moment because it is nice to be back."
Alexander-Arnold will be hoping he can finally start to make an impact at Real Madrid after returning to fitness. He certainly has the chance to cement a place in the team now that captain Dani Carvajal has been ruled out of action after undergoing knee surgery. Alonso has been using Fede Valverde at right-back, but the Uruguay international would much rather play in his preferred position in midfield. Real Madrid are back in action in La Liga on Saturday against Rayo Vallecano in a game which could see Alexander-Arnold play his first minutes in the Spanish top flight for almost two months.
