Kylian Mbappe bagged a brace as Real Madrid beat Sevilla 4-1 in La Liga to close the gap on Barcelona to six points ahead of next weekend's El Clasico. 

Valverde was a standout player in the clash as he proved to Mourinho that he deserves a spot in the side over Denzel Dumfries and Alexander-Arnold at right back.

Following his move from boyhood club Liverpool, Alexander-Arnold has become a sad figure with the Spanish giants as he struggles for not only trophies, but minutes on the pitch.

Why was Trent benched?

Speaking after the game, Mourinho was all praise for Valverde and commented on leaving both Dumfries and Alexander-Arnold out of the action.

Mourinho stated it's “not easy to leave two quality right-backs on the bench” while praising Valverde.

Mourinho said: "The other day, half-jokingly and half-seriously, I said that if we had four Valverdes, they’d play in four different positions. He’s one of the most versatile players in football today.

“He can play anywhere and at a very high level. Today, he played a brilliant game. It’s not easy for a coach to leave two quality right-backs on the bench, but I thought it would be very useful to have a right-back with legs and quality to play behind Endrick.

“I don’t need to convince him of anything. He’s the captain of Real Madrid, and if he has to play as a goalkeeper, then gloves on and into the goal.”

Alexander-Arnold started just three of Madrid's first eight La Liga matches this season and as links back to Liverpool continue to grow, the 28 year old may consider a switch back to Merseyside if the opportunity does crop up.