All eyes on one Real Madrid player ahead of the next LaLiga game
Arbeloa is counting on Trent for the Valencia match. He’s the only player in the squad who hasn’t played yet in 2026.
The curtain is set to fall at Mestalla and Trent Alexander-Arnold could appear. It sounds fanciful, but it’s the scenario Arbeloa is preparing for tomorrow, and one Real Madrid are eager to see: the English full-back finally taking command of the right flank. If he plays, it won’t be a last-minute gamble. His recovery has been meticulously planned. The initial target was last Sunday’s match against Rayo Vallecano, but the decision was made to wait one more week. In a sense, it’s like welcoming him back in 2026, because Trent is the only Real Madrid player yet to feature this calendar year.
“There’s no rush with him, he wasn’t signed for a single day,” club sources have repeated, insisting that patience is essential. His two long-term injuries, both suffered in matches against Real Sociedad on 13 September and at San Mamés on 3 December, were among the reasons the club reinstated Dr Niko Mihic at the start of January. Preventing injuries like Trent’s is one of the Croatian doctor’s priorities in his second spell at the club, now as supervisor of the medical department.
Madrid have also shielded the player from rumours, widely echoed in England but dismissed internally, that Arbeloa is not convinced by him. There was even speculation that the club wanted him to leave. Neither claim is true. As previously reported, Madrid reassured the full-back as soon as they learned the extent of his latest setback. “I’m devastated,” the number 12 admitted at the time. The message from the club was clear: don’t rush. Trent is part of the long-term project.
That project resumes in Valencia. The former Liverpool defender faces an immediate test. Valverde will slide into midfield to support him, and with Carvajal still unavailable, Trent must quickly rediscover the level he showed before his injury in Bilbao. He had started that match brightly, providing his first assist as a Madrid player for Mbappé’s opening goal in the 7th minute. A flash of quality and the early outline of a partnership that gives Arbeloa and the club real hope. That is the version of Trent Madrid invested in and are waiting to see again.
He remains, above all, an attacking weapon. What he showed in Bilbao was routine during his Liverpool years, where he averaged a goal or assist every three matches. He contributed to 115 goals at Anfield, scoring 23 and assisting 92, with added value from his dominance at set pieces.
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Trent has navigated the managerial transition while working largely in isolation with the fitness staff, before returning to the pitch for this final phase under Arbeloa’s close guidance. A coach who knows the demands of the role, having played right-back at both Anfield and the Bernabéu, and who understands the particular character of players shaped in Liverpool. The triangle of Trent, Arbeloa and Real Madrid now hopes the third attempt brings stability and lift-off.
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