Real Madrid Defender Trent Alexander-Arnold Recognised by WhoScored

Despite his incredibly unique talent, the England national team and Real Madrid right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold have always had a bit of a complicated relationship. 

Even when he was at Liverpool, he struggled to consistently nail down a position, especially in important games. His only start at the 2018 World Cup was a dead rubber group stage, and then he was injured for Euro 2020 - though was not expected to start there either. 

Then, at the 2022 World Cup, he did not start a single game, and only came off the bench once. At Euro 2024, he started in both of England's opening two games, but in midfield rather than his nominal right-back position, before then coming on twice for the rest of the tournament. 

His difficult situation with the national team then reached new heights when he was controversially left out of the squad for the 2026 World Cup, the first time he had not been selected for a tournament since Euro 2016, when he was just 17 years of age. 

Still, when you are a player quite so talented, there is always hope that things can turn around. And whilst it not has been the perfect international break for Alexander-Arnold, things have perhaps taken a positive turn. 

To begin, even being called up for the quadruple header in the UEFA Nations League was a positive, just to be back in the fold having been left out. He then started in two of the four games, both against Czechia, and played really well in both. 

In the away game, he provided a brilliant assist for Anthony Gordon with a trademark cross from the right hand side. In the home game, it was his driving run that lead to England's opening goal. A very good couple of displays, topped off with two clean sheets. 

Owing to these performances, he has been recognised by rating app WhoScored with a place in their Nations League Team of the Tournament so far. 

The full team is as follows; Lammens; Alexander-Arnold, Thiaw, Mavropanos, Hall; De Bruyne, Damsgaard, Olise; Ndyoe, Kane, Gordon. With a rating of 7.94, the right-back is the highest rated defender.

Four players from England there. Some may think that Jude Bellingham can feel aggrieved, though as always, it is important to remember these are based on their algorithm. There isn't anybody employed by WhoScored thinking "Don't think Bellingham has been as good as other players." That is just how it goes sometimes. 

There is a hope within the Real Madrid fanbase that Alexander-Arnold will begin to get more regular game time now. He has featured in just four of the seven La Liga games so far, with two of those being starts. It is clear that, as of now, Denzel Dumfries is Jose Mourinho's preferred option in that position. Let's see if that changes.