Xabi Alonso makes excuse for Trent Alexander-Arnold he can't relate to

Xabi Alonso is keeping the faith in Trent

Real Madrid boss Xabi Alonso has reassured Trent Alexander-Arnold he is important to his squad, despite a slow start to life in Spain.

The England full-back left Liverpool for Los Blancos in the summer but has yet to show his best self for Real.

A hamstring injury curtailed his progress in September, meaning Alexander-Arnold has made just five starts so far this season.

But the former Reds defender has received the full backing of Liverpool icon Alonso, who is another new face at the Bernabeu this term.

Alonso returned to Real as head coach this summer, more than a decade after his five-year stint in their midfield came to an end.

And unlike Alexander-Arnold, Alonso became an instant hit in the Spanish capital after he moved from Anfield in 2009 as part of a £30million deal.

Although he didn't lift a major trophy until the end of his second season with Real, Alonso quickly became a vital cog in midfield.

But despite not being able to relate to Alexander-Arnold in that sense, he has still jumped to the defence of his fellow Liverpool alumnus amid his struggles for form.

Alonso

"Trent is a top player, and we need him,"

Alonso added: "It's his first year, and this adjustment period is normal. He's also demanding of himself, and we have to support him through this significant change."

A Kylian Mbappe quadruple led Los Blancos to a 4-3 win at Olympiakos in the Champions League on Wednesday. However, Real have drawn their last two La Liga games and dropped a couple of points behind Barcelona as a result.

Alexander-Arnold featured in both those outings after coming off the bench at Rayo Vallecano, then playing the entire 90 minutes against Elche.

He had failed to feature in seven straight league games prior to that as he recovered from injury.

Instead, Federico Valverde has filled in as a makeshift right-back for most of Alonso's debut campaign at the helm.

Spanish veteran Dani Carvajal has also spent a good chunk of this season on the sidelines and is currently out of action due to a knee injury.

While his own Real arrival went a little differently from Alexander-Arnold's, that doesn't stop Alonso from empathising with his player at all.

And amid supposed speculation linking him with the exit in Madrid, Alonso is adamant about the union shared among his squad.

Speaking at the same pre-Girona press conference, Alonso said:

"I've always felt that the team is united, and that we all know what the objective is: to reach the end [of the season] with a chance to win everything.

"We're together in the good times, and the not-so-good times. We have a good connection on a daily basis. Despite all the rumours and what some might say, we're very solid internally."

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