Jose Mourinho remains unconvinced by Trent Alexander-Arnold at Real Madrid, with the England international struggling to establish himself as a regular starter and facing growing competition for a place in the team.
Despite entering his second season at the Santiago Bernabeu, Alexander-Arnold has yet to deliver the consistency required to secure the right-back position.
Hence, Mourinho continues to favour other options, leaving the former Liverpool defender with an uncertain role under the Portuguese coach.
Why Alexander-Arnold has fallen behind
Alexander-Arnold, 28, arrived with a reputation built on his exceptional distribution, crossing and ability to create chances from deep.
Those qualities can make him a valuable attacking weapon, but his defensive limitations have repeatedly complicated his bid to become an automatic starter.
However, as reported by Defensa Central, Mourinho has yet to see enough to change that assessment.
The Portuguese coach requested Dumfries when he arrived at the club, valuing the Dutchman’s defensive capabilities alongside his ability to contribute in attack.
Trent Alexander-Arnold is losing Mourinho’s confidence. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)
That preference is particularly revealing because Dumfries has struggled to reproduce his Inter Milan form. Yet Alexander-Arnold has still been unable to take advantage.
Dumfries and Valverde give Mourinho alternatives
Mourinho initially explored a way to use both full-backs together during pre-season, potentially combining Dumfries’ defensive strength with Alexander-Arnold’s creativity.
However, the emergence of Diomande and Arda Guler’s involvement in wide areas have complicated the prospect of finding a consistent role for the Englishman.
Valverde creates another problem for Alexander-Arnold because his versatility gives Mourinho an additional option on the right.
Rather than building the position around one specialist, the manager can choose between different profiles depending on the team’s needs.
As far as Dumfries is concerned, he has played 568 minutes under Mourinho, but in the last few matches, even he has appeared to have lost the manager’s confidence.
Can Alexander-Arnold offer Mourinho a solution elsewhere?
The Champions League fixture against Inter provided another test of Alexander-Arnold’s adaptability.
What happens next with Trent Alexander-Arnold? (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)
With several players unavailable, Mourinho tried him in central midfield, a position he had previously occupied for England.
The experiment did not yield the desired result, exposing concerns about his ability to control matches under pressure and withstand physical challenges.
That failed switch matters because versatility could have offered Alexander-Arnold another route into the starting team.
Instead, his midfield display did little to resolve the question of where he fits best.
His clearest route back may therefore be at right-back, where his passing and crossing remain valuable assets.
But to change Mourinho’s view, Alexander-Arnold must show that those attacking qualities can be delivered without leaving the team exposed defensively.
Until then, his place at Real Madrid will remain a contest rather than a guarantee.