Trent Alexander-Arnold is already turning heads at Real Madrid, with one of his teammates describing him as “a nightmare” to deal with in training.
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The former Liverpool star has been thrown straight into the action at the Club World Cup, where Real Madrid have advanced to the quarter-finals. ..Continue Reading
After finishing top of their group, the Spanish giants faced Juventus in a high-profile Round of 16 matchup on Tuesday, though the game itself lacked fireworks.
The match in Florida was relatively subdued, with both sides struggling in the heat, but Real Madrid deservedly edged it with a 1-0 win.
Young forward Gonzalo Garcia continued his impressive form by scoring his third goal of the tournament, while Alexander-Arnold registered his first assist for the club.
The England international delivered a pinpoint cross from the right flank, which Garcia headed home, and the striker wasn’t surprised to see the 26-year-old deliver such quality.
Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has already been impressed, saying Alexander-Arnold is the best he’s seen when it comes to crossing and set-piece delivery.
‘I think he could have already had a few in these four games. His pre-assist against Pachuca was also really good,’ Courtois told DAZN of the full-back’s first Real assist.
‘In training he’s horrible, his kicking is amazing. His free-kicks, his corner kicks are really on another level.
‘I don’t think I saw some guy with his quality of kicking and crossing so as a goalkeeper sometimes it’s a nightmare. But it keeps you on edge and keeps you working hard, trying to save them, to make him better and myself better.’
Speaking after the win that sets up a quarter-final game with Borussia Dortmund, Alonso said of his fellow former Liverpool star: ‘Trent? I believe in him. He still needs time, but he’s an amazing player.’
He added: ‘Crossing is his trademark; he’s done 500 of those. On the right, we sometimes need an extra foot. One-on-one dribbling isn’t his thing.
‘He comes to Madrid to compete; he’s barely trained. Everything takes time.
‘Everything takes time, but I’m confident we’ll have a reliable full-back. First, we have to improve as a team.’
The England international celebrated on Instagram, posting pictures of him putting in the cross and then celebrating with Garcia.
He captioned the images: ‘See you in the Quarters! Vamosss.’
The goal-scorer got involved, thanking his teammate by replying: ‘What a ball ????.’
