Trent Alexander-Arnold is now facing a very familiar problem at Real Madrid after leaving Liverpool - opinion

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Trent Alexander-Arnold was plagued by one burning question during his time at Anfield, and it’s now started to happen at Real Madrid as well.Liverpool fans booed Alexander-Arnold on his return to Anfield for a Champions League meeting earlier this month.The Englishman was on the losing side that night and has endured a difficult spell in Spain so far.Join our newsletter for news & smart analysis. Trent’s future at Real Madrid has already become a talking point, with Xabi Alonso seemingly viewing him as a third-choice right-back behind Daniel Carvajal and Federico Valverde.A potential solution to this issue has now been mooted, highlighting how one problem that plagued the Englishman when at Anfield has followed him to Real.Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty ImagesWhat is Trent Alexander-Arnold’s best positionWhile Trent was prolific going forward at Liverpool, there were always question marks surrounding his defensive ability.Players like Virgil van Dijk, Ryan Gravenberch, Fabinho and more helped hide his shortcomings in that department when in England.But it now appears as though Alonso, who has afforded him just 158 minutes of action in La Liga, doesn’t trust him in a defensive role.This has prompted ESPN pundits Ale Moreno, Don Hutchison, Gab Marcotti and Shaka Hislop to debate whether Xabi should ‘try to reinvent Trent as a midfielder?’It’s a question that was asked many times during Alexander-Arnold’s time as a Liverpool player, including by BBC Sport.In truth, during the few appearances he has made in the middle, the 27-year-old has never looked overly impressive.What Trent Alexander-Arnold has said about becoming a midfielderGareth Southgate briefly deployed Trent as a midfielder for England back in 2024, with the ex-Liverpool man highlighting how demanding the position change was.As per England’s official website, he said: “It’s physically demanding but when you’re playing with the likes of Declan, Jude and the others in and around you with an experienced back four behind you, it helps.“With Declan and Jude talking to you and guiding you through it, it’s hard to go wrong.“The manager and the staff, Steve Holland especially, we’ve put a lot of work into this role.“So I was well prepared and I knew what was asked of me and what role I needed to do and hopefully they felt like I executed it because we got the win in the end.” Who will win Liverpool vs Nottingham Forest on Saturday?

Photo by Alex Livesey – Danehouse/Getty Images While Xabi may end up doing the same at some point, it is hard to see Alexander-Arnold being used regularly through the centre for Los Blancos.Eduardo Camavinga is a much more defensively sound option in Alonso’s two-man pivot. Arda Guler is one of Europe’s biggest rising stars, and his creativity this season has been excellent.Aurelien Tchouameni is also a much better defensive option when fit, and in reality, it seems likely Trent will simply just have to bide his time and hope he can eventually break into the team in his preferred right-back role, no matter how many questions continue to be asked about a potential position change.