Trent Alexander-Arnold appeared to aim a subtle dig at Liverpool as he revealed what is different at Real Madrid.
The England international was officially unveiled as a Los Blancos player last week after signing a six-year deal and taking the No.12 shirt at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Although he was set to be a free transfer given his contract was expiring, the 26-year-old joined for a fee of £8.4 million so that he could play the entirety of the Club World Cup tournament in the United States.
Alexander-Arnold has been with the team in Miami for intense training under new manager Xabi Alonso at the Gardens North County District Park ahead of a first group fixture against Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal.
Advert
And in an interview with Real's official website, Alexander-Arnold was quick to point out the key difference as he discussed adapting to the new environment.
"Hot to start with but a good session with some good things," Alexander-Arnold admitted.
"[It was] good to get a feel of the ball and a feel of the heat training in this climate so it was a good session.
"[It was] high quality. The ball moves very fast. Obviously it's a lot different to what I'm used to in terms of the players and the style of play but it's good and I'm enjoying the change and I'm enjoying being a part of it.
"It feels really good and I'm happy to be here to be honest."
El Pais reported that Alexander-Arnold has come across as "particularly shy" and hasn't left the side of friend Jude Bellingham as he tries to settle into new surroundings.
However, the right-back praised his new teammates for making him feel comfortable from the very off.
Alexander-Arnold hit headlines for speaking Spanish in his Real presentation and has revealed he is able to communicate with colleagues in the language, though some are also chatting to him in English.
"I can't say enough about the lads and how they made me feel welcome and at home," he continued.
"They've all put in a lot of effort, spoken to me, made me feel comfortable and made sure any questions I had - especially with the translations and things - they've helped me a lot with everything.
"I can't thank them enough and now we're excited for the game to start."
On getting to grips with the language, he added: "If me or Jude are involved the lads will tend to speak in English we can understand but it's probably, in some ways easier than what I thought it would be and in some ways harder.
"The meetings and tactical talks are all in Spanish so they take some getting used to but in terms of day to day conversation, it's easy.
"I have a decent base level of Spanish so I can hold a decent conversation with the lads and likewise they have a very good understanding of English so yeah it's easy to communicate."
Wearing his first name on the back of his shirt for the foreseeable, Alexander-Arnold could make his debut at the Hard Rock Stadium on Wednesday night.
Real also take on Pachuca and Red Bull Salzburg in Group H.
Topics: Trent Alexander-Arnold, Real Madrid, Liverpool
Josh Lawless