England manager Thomas Tuchel has offered his verdict on Trent Alexander-Arnold’s contentious move to Real Madrid.
The defender caused uproar among the Liverpool fan base when he revealed he would be leaving the club for Spain, with it initially looking like he would be departing for free after a 20-year stay at his boyhood club.
However, Arne Slot’s side did secure a mega £10million fee from Madrid for Alexander-Arnold to join them early and therefore play in the upcoming Club World Cup.
Before then, the 26-year-old joined his England team-mates in Catalonia as they prepare for their third World Cup qualifier under Tuchel.
The Three Lions face Andorra on Saturday before heading back to England to face Senegal in a friendly at the City Ground.
Ahead of Alexander-Arnold’s blockbuster switch, Tuchel explained why he believes the right back will perform well in LaLiga.
Thomas Tuchel believes Trent Alexander-Arnold has what it takes to play for Real Madrid
The England boss explained that Alexander-Arnold is confident in his own ‘outstanding ability’
The full back caused a stir when he announced his Liverpool exit as a free agent last month
‘I think he has what it takes to play for that club,’ the German tactician told ITV Sport.
‘First for [his] outstanding quality, self-awareness of his quality – I think Trent is very well aware of what he does really, really good.
‘And he can influence matches with one or two actions decisively, with his crosses, with his passes, switches of play. So I can see that he has what it takes.’
Tuchel went on to note that Madrid’s shirt weighs heavy, and implored fans to give Alexander-Arnold time to adjust to the Spanish top flight.
The 51-year-old continued: ‘You can never predict it, you can never underestimate the pressure and the challenge that comes with the shirt, the club and the stadium.
‘But let’s give him a chance. It’s a big challenge for him and it’s exciting new times. Hopefully he does well.’
Alexander-Arnold was at Liverpool since joining their academy back in 2004 and captained the club across its youth levels.
After breaking into the first team in 2016, he represented the Reds in 354 senior games and helped bring seven different pieces of silverware to Anfield.
Alexander-Arnold (64) has provided the third-most assists in Liverpool history (64), behind only Steven Gerrard (92) and Mohamed Salah (86).
Replacing him as Liverpool’s starting right back will either be fellow academy graduate Conor Bradley or new signing Jeremie Frimpong.
The Reds activated the former Bayer Leverkusen star’s £29.5m release clause last month.
The right wing back inked a five-year contract at Anfield and became their first summer signing.
