For Real Madrid, a number of players are fighting for their place under Jose Mourinho, with the manager still set to make a number of major decisions when it comes to the players he puts out on the pitch. One player Jose Mourinho still has yet to make his decision on is Trent Alexander-Arnold, with many questioning what his future holds following the arrival of Denzel Dumfries from Inter Milan but the player himself reportedly has no problem with the new challenge ahead of him.
As being reported by MadridXtra on X, Trent Alexander-Arnold accepts his new challenge against Denzel Dumfries to win the starting right-back role and he knows he must deliver to win over Jose Mourinho and convince him he fits his system. It will be a tough competition between the two players with both being solid options but unfortunately only one can start, leaving Mourinho will a big decision on his hands.
It's Trent vs Dumfries to win over Jose this pre-season
When Alexander-Arnold arrived at the Bernabeu last season after leaving Liverpool on a free transfer, many expected the future of the right-back position to be in safe hands with Dani Carvajal on the way out but unfortunately it wasn't smooth sailing last season. The Englishman dealt with injuries and struggled to find consistency resulting in Trent failing to find the top form we saw in the Premier League leading many to question if Real made the wrong choice by bringing him in.
Whether it was a result of his performances or a request from the new manager Los Blancos have brought in Denzel Dumfries from Inter Milan leading many to question if this means Trent will now fall to a backup role, with Dumfries fitting Mourinho's system better than the Englishman.
Dumfries is powerful, direct, a relentless runner, and far more aggressive defensively than Alexander-Arnold with is what Mourinho looks for in his fullbacks. With Alexander-Arnold being more an attacking minded fullback it would be quite the change from the typical Mourinho style to go with a player like Trent after bringing in a top level fullback in Dumfries. Real lacked creativity last season which is where Trent excels but with some of the other signings made this summer, that still may not be enough for the fullback to keep his starting role.
However if one player can win that position it's Trent. The Englishman was one of the first players to return for pre-season this summer and has had much more time with Mourinho than Dumfries, which could put him ahead in the race to win the starting role. At the end of the day only time will tell who wins over Mourinho when the players step on to the pitch on matchday one in La Liga in just a few weeks time.
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