Trent Alexander-Arnold has had a very rough summer on all fronts, and it is safe to say that he will feel he has a lot to prove once the new season commences.
For starters, the player was left out of England’s squad for the FIFA World Cup which came as an unbelievable development.
The blow on the international level was then compounded by Real Madrid’s decision to sign Denzel Dumfries – a direct competitor for the right-back spot after Dani Carvajal’s departure.
An interesting plan
Now, as reported by Cadena SER, Jose Mourinho has a unique idea to incorporate the Englishman into his dynamics which is far from what anyone would have expected.
Mourinho’s idea for Trent is ambitious. (Photo by Christian Bruna/Getty Images)
The Portuguese manager reportedly sees Trent as a player who can play in midfield to control the proceedings of the game on need.
He sees the former Liverpool star as possessing the technicality and quality required to be a controller of the game and may well test him in that position soon.
The question that arises, however, is about the formation the manager plans to use at Real Madrid.
The standard 4-2-3-1 already has clear candidates in midfield in Aurelien Tchouameni, Bernardo Silva, Jude Bellingham and even Federico Valverde.
Adding Trent as a right midfielder will require one of them to be dropped or a change in formation.
Who is the preferred right-back?
As relayed earlier today, Real Madrid’s new signing Denzel Dumfries has impressed the new manager, so much so that he already appears to be ahead of Trent on the pecking order.
Dumfries has impressed in pre-season. (Photo by David Balogh/Getty Images)
Word has it that it will be the new arrival who starts at right-back in Real Madrid’s opening league game. If true, the development will be colossal in determining Trent’s role in the team.
Having arrived as one of the best in the business just a year ago, the Englishman’s adaptation to the club has not been ideal.
Further, his profile may not be as defensively sound as Mourinho desires, and that could well be the reason for the midfield idea’s birth.
In any case, it will be interesting to see how the defender fares in a new position and role.