Why Trent Alexander-Arnold won't play at Anfield next season after boos on Liverpool return | OneFootball

Home fans jeered England international’s every involvement in second-half cameo

A UEFA rule change could save Trent Alexander-Arnold from having to return to Anfield again next season.

The defender did not start the affair, but he was brought on by his manager, ex-Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso, in the 81st minute.

The England international announced that he would be leaving his boyhood club back in May, eight days after the Reds had sealed the Premier League title, and on May 30, Real announced his signing on a free transfer upon the expiry of his contract at Anfield.

Los Blancos reportedly paid a €10million (£8.4m) fee to sign the Englishman early, so that he could feature at the Club World Cup.

Now, there could be a way in which Alexander-Arnold does not have to play at Anfield again any time soon, with a new UEFA rule coming into action for the 2026-27 season.

The Club Competitions Committee has stipulated that any one fixture between the same two teams cannot be repeated in the same competition with the same home team for three seasons.

In this instance, Real have played Liverpool away in the Champions League in two consecutive campaigns.

The La Liga outfit travelled to Anfield last term, losing 2-0 in the league phase, and then again earlier this week, when Alexis Mac Allister struck the winner.

As such, that would mean that Madrid cannot play at Anfield next year, as that would make it three away fixtures on Merseyside on the bounce for them, which would go against the new rule.

It does not mean, however, that Liverpool cannot play at the Bernabeu, and the rule also does not apply to the knockout stages of the competition, with home and away legs still played.