Trent Alexander-Arnold urged to make embarrassing move to salvage career after Real Madrid nightmare

Trent Alexander-Arnold has been urged to return to Liverpool if his struggles at Real Madrid continue.

Alexander-Arnold signed for Real Madrid for £10million in 2025, ending his more-than-two-decade association with boyhood club Liverpool.

But just one year into his six-year contract, the right-back is struggling for minutes under new head coach Jose Mourinho, with the Portuguese favouring Dutch full-back Denzel Dumfries over the Liverpudlian.

The 27-year-old, who struggled with injuries as Real went trophyless last term, has started just two of Los Blancos’ opening seven La Liga games and is firmly second-choice at the Santiago Bernabeu.

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Trent told to make Liverpool return

And former England boss Sam Allardyce believes it may be time for Alexander-Arnold to seek a return to Liverpool, with the Reds failing to truly replace his quality at right-back despite signing Jeremie Frimpong last summer.

Speaking on the No Tippy Tappy Football podcast, the former Everton boss explained: “At 27, Trent still has years ahead of him. This is his prime. He’s at Real Madrid, and his experience there should stand him in good stead to be even better than he was when he left Liverpool, even though he hasn’t played as often as he would’ve liked.

“If he is going to be a Real Madrid player then this season he needs to be playing more than ever - if not, he should come back to the Premier League - Liverpool could do with him back. He’s capable of opening the opposition up.”

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Alexander-Arnold’s quality in attacking areas is his biggest asset, although many observers have criticised his lack of defensive awareness. However, Allardyce does not believe this is a huge issue, explaining how he’s “not much worse than other full-backs”.

He added: “There have always been question marks over has defending, and rightly so, but that’s the same for most right-backs now. They stand with their hands behind the backs and don’t stop crosses.

“When Liverpool weren’t quite as good under Jurgen Klopp as they had been for a few years and they started conceding more goals, his defending got pointed out by everyone.”

Alexander-Arnold will be hoping to showcase his talent in the upcoming Nations League fixtures, having been recalled to the squad by Thomas Tuchel after missing the cut ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

The right-back was previously tentatively linked with a loan to Newcastle during the summer transfer window, although no offer was put forward by the north-east club.

Trent ‘hurt’ by reaction to Liverpool exit

Alexander-Arnold’s decision to leave Liverpool resulted in huge criticism from members of the fanbase, with the right-back explaining how he still receives abuse more than a year on from his controversial departure.

Speaking to the Mirror in August, he said: “The booing and disappointment from Liverpool supporters is something I'm absolutely able to shoulder. I can understand it, in my own way.

“But I hope one day there'll be a degree of understanding about the decisions I wanted to make around my own life.

“It hurts because of how much I've put into the club over the course of 20 years and the sacrifices I made for the club during that period.”