Alvaro Arbeloa Tempers Expectations After Trent Alexander-Arnold’s Return

Madrid—Real Madrid manager Álvaro Arbeloa urged calm on Sunday evening after Trent Alexander-Arnold ended a two-month injury lay-off with a promising cameo in the club’s 2-0 victory over Valencia at the Bernabéu.

The 27-year-old right-back, sidelined since early December with a quad injury, entered in the 76th minute and immediately showcased the distribution that prompted the club to secure his signature from Liverpool last summer. In 14-plus minutes Alexander-Arnold completed five passes into the final third, delivered three accurate long balls and produced one decisive clearance, offering a glimpse of the attacking width Madrid have lacked for much of the 2025-26 campaign.

Yet Arbeloa, speaking after the match, cautioned supporters against anticipating an instant return to the starting lineup with Champions League knockout-phase playoffs looming.

“As for Trent, after being out for a long time, we are taking the same approach with him as we will with others returning from injury,” the 43-year-old coach said. “We are proceeding cautiously and calmly because what we want is for him to find his rhythm, his best playing form, and that’s how it will be with Trent.”

The measured stance reflects both Alexander-Arnold’s recent medical history and Madrid’s congested fixture list. The England international missed the Club World Cup semifinals in July with a muscle complaint, sustained a hamstring strain in September that shelved him until November, and then suffered the quadriceps setback a month later. A premature re-integration, club medical staff fear, could risk a fourth significant absence at the decisive point of the season.

Real Madrid currently sit in the thick of a La Liga title race and occupy a tenuous position inside the Champions League qualification places. Losing their marquee summer acquisition for another extended spell would represent a major blow to Arbeloa’s ambitions of reclaiming domestic supremacy and mounting a continental challenge.

Sunday’s appearance was Alexander-Arnold’s first competitive minutes since early December, and only his 11th in all competitions this season. Before the injury carousel began, he and longtime stalwart Dani Carvajal were locked in a rotation battle initiated by former coach Xabi Alonso, who alternated between Carvajal’s defensive reliability and Alexander-Arnold’s creative thrust.

Carvajal, 34, returned from his own injury in early January but has featured sparingly under Arbeloa—two substitute outings against Albacete and Monaco—before watching the past four matches from the bench as Castilla graduate David Jiménez earned the Valencia assignment. Arbeloa insisted the veteran remains in his plans.

“I’m not going to take any risks with Dani,” he said. “With patience and effort he will regain his relevance.”

Whether that patience extends to an open competition for the starting right-back role, or whether Alexander-Arnold will be installed as first-choice once fully fit, is a decision Arbeloa declined to clarify. What is clear is that the club will prioritize long-term availability over short-term sentiment, even if the fan base craves the instant injection of quality Alexander-Arnold provides.

If the rehabilitation program proceeds without complications, Madrid could finally possess an elite, natural right-back in peak condition for the first time since the 2023-24 season. Until then, Arbeloa’s message is unambiguous: patience now, payoff later.

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