Trent Alexander-Arnold “is very good for the level of the squad,” reveals Xabi Alonso – but “I’ll have to rotate” | OneFootball

Trent Alexander-Arnold could make his LaLiga debut on Tuesday, as Real Madrid welcome CA Osasuna to the Santiago Bernabéu at 20:00 BST [21:00 CEST] on Tuesday.

Los Blancos are eager to get the season underway after a disappointing collapse at the tail end of 2024/25 saw them lose the Copa del Rey final to Barcelona, who also claimed the league title by four points.

“We want to start well against Osasuna,” Xabi Alonso revealed on Monday in his pre-match press conference, adding that “the first match is always important for many reasons.”

The 43-year-old, who took charge of Real Madrid ahead of the FIFA Club World Cup, noted that “we’re all heading into [the new season] with eagerness and excitement. We can’t wait to get the season started after the break.”

It’s been a disrupted summer for the Madrileños, who played their last match of the 2024/25 season – a 4-0 thrashing at the hands of PSG in the Club World Cup semi-finals – on the 9th July. They returned to training at the start of August, and Alonso reflected on the “two short but intense weeks” that have followed.

“It’s difficult to judge what level we’re at,” he admitted. “There’s no thermometer for that – but we’re taking steps. I’m sure that we’ve still got a little way to go, but the fundamental ideas were introduced during the Club World Cup and now in these two weeks, we’ve strengthened them. From there, we’ll continue the journey. The feeling is good.”

“There’s a good competition [within the squad],” Alonso added, “and I really like that in each position we have two players who can play, who want to demonstrate that they deserve the place. Then I’ll have to decide – sometimes I’ll have to rotate, but I think we’ve got a lot of doubled positions.”

“At right-back, we’ve got two players: [Dani] Carvajal, who’s trained a lot more and is much closer to his level, and Trent [Alexander-Arnold], who has arrived from Liverpool and is very good for the level of the squad. We’ve got a lot of games, and we need this level,” he continued.

“It’s clear to me that there’s a good competition [within the squad] and I really like that in each position we have two players who can play, who want to demonstrate that they deserve the place. Then I’ll have to rotate. Sometimes they’ll have to share, but I think we’ve got a lot of doubled positions.”

“On the right side we’ve got two players: [Dani] Carvajal, who’s trained a lot more and is much closer to his level, and Trent [Alexander-Arnold], who has arrived from Liverpool and is very good for the level of the squad. We’ve got a lot of games, and we need this level.”

Real Madrid’s LaLiga season opener kicks off at the Santiago Bernabéu on Tuesday 19 August at 20:00 BST [21:00 CEST].