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Xabi Alonso is counting on Trent Alexander-Arnold as his first-choice right-back at Real Madrid, reports claim

Real Madrid boss Xabi Alonso has decided Trent Alexander-Arnold will be his starting right-back at the Bernebeu ahead of long-serving Dani Carvajal, according to reports in Spain.

The England defender is a new arrival in the Spanish capital after the La Liga giants fought hard to bring him in from Liverpool, even agreeing to pay the Premier League side £10m to ensure he arrived in time for the Club World Cup in June.

Alexander-Arnold arrives in Madrid with pedigree having just won his second Premier League title with Liverpool, where he won eight cups in total - including the Champions League in 2019.

Alonso sees the 26-year-old as "the chosen one", according to Spanish outlet E-Noticies, who says the manager has put his faith in the England star due to his "quality, vision and offensive contribution".

Alexander-Arnold knew he had work to do in order to unseat Carvajal - the boyhood Madrid star who has made 428 appearances for the club, winning every trophy available to him.

That includes four La Liga titles and an astonishing six Champions League titles.

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But the report claims that Carvajal will "have to get used to the bench" and says the veteran defender is "no longer untouchable" after spending much of last season on the sidelines with a cruciate ligament tear.

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Carvajal - who has been at the club for so long that he played with Alonso at Real Madrid - will turn 34 in January and no longer has the same pace and power he was once renowned for.

Alexander-Arnold, meanwhile, has been a huge hit since arriving in Madrid - wowing the press with his fluent Spanish-speaking ability.

Alonso is preparing to keep long-serving defender Dani Carvajal as a back-up option

He also gets along well with the club's centre-backs, the report adds, and has the "character, talent and profile" that fits the playing style Alonso wants to implement on the team.

It says Alonso is looking more towards a youthful outlook for the team, saying that stars like Endrick, Arda Guler and Brahim Diaz could start becoming "key pieces" of the puzzle at Madrid.

Carvajal is not the only long-serving star who faces a bench role in the upcoming season.

Rodrygo appears to have fallen down the pecking order under Alonso already after the coach after he was benched for their Club World Cup semi-final clash against PSG.

Alonso said he needed "another player" when asked for a reasoning behind the decision, but said he hadn't decided whether on the Brazilian's future just yet.

"The fact that he didn't play again is a game-by-game decision," he said.

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