Just when Trent Alexander-Arnold was gaining some momentum at Real Madrid, manager José Mourinho quickly reiterated that natural midfielder Federico Valverde is his preferred starting right back.

For just the fifth time this season, Alexander-Arnold got the nod at the weekend, logging a full 90 minutes in the team’s 3–0 win over Racing Santander. The England international put in an “excellent and well-balanced” performance, said Mourinho, in which he created two chances and helped his side keep a clean sheet.

Perhaps Alexander-Arnold finally felt like he had made a breakthrough with the Portuguese boss, who previously favored summer signing Denzel Dumfries at the start of the season. But Mourinho still does not view the former Liverpool star as his best option on the right flank—that honor now belongs to Valverde.

“The truth is the squad was built with Valverde in mind as a midfielder and with two good and different right backs,” Mourinho said on Tuesday ahead of Los Blancos’ Champions League clash with AEK Athens. “Fede, in this preseason setup, was a midfielder. This means we don’t have many midfielders, and I am sure Fede will surely play as a midfielder again at some point.

“If you ask me if I’m very happy with him as a fullback, the answer is yes. If you ask me if the team is better with him as a fullback and is playing better football with the combinations between him and Arda [Güler] in that area, the answer is also yes.

“I think Fede will play as a fullback because we all like him there, but he will also have to play in midfield.”

Valverde Makes the Trip to Greece

Mourinho’s reminder that Real Madrid play better with Valverde at right back comes on the same day the Uruguayan returns to the squad. The captain missed this weekend’s clash after suffering an injury scare against Barcelona, opening the door for Alexander-Arnold to start against Racing.

But Alexander-Arnold’s time in the XI was seemingly short-lived. Valverde made the trip to Greece with Los Blancos and is available to play in Wednesday’s Champions League clash. Whether Mourinho decides to thrust the 28-year-old back into his lineup remains to be seen, but he is an option nonetheless.

Valverde infamously said he “wasn’t born to play at fullback” last season after filling in at the role under Carlo Ancelotti and Xabi Alonso amid the team’s rampant injury issues. He made it clear he preferred to be in midfield, but now one season later, he is back on the right flank.

There’s simply no debating how much better Real Madrid have played with Valverde rounding out Mourinho’s backline. The Uruguay international started at right back against Sevilla, RB Leipzig and Barcelona—and Los Blancos won all three games, scoring 10 goals and conceding three along the way.

Valverde also was moved to right back in the second half against both Villarreal and Roma, and that was partially how Los Blancos secured three points in each match. The results and the performances speak for themselves, and continue to prove Valverde perhaps was indeed born to play fullback.

Where Does Valverde’s Emergence Leave Alexander-Arnold?

As if competing for minutes with Dumfries wasn’t a tall enough task, Alexander-Arnold now finds himself in a losing battle with Valverde as well.

It’s a wild fall from grace for the two-time Premier League winner, who left behind boyhood club Liverpool to join Real Madrid ahead of the 2025–26 season. Injuries marred his debut campaign in a white shirt and now his sophomore season is being derailed by unforeseen competition.

Links with a return to England have surfaced, with Chelsea and Liverpool among the clubs believed to be interested in securing Alexander-Arnold’s signature this January. Recent reports claim the right back is fully focused on Real Madrid, but anything can happen in the next few months, especially if the 28-year-old remains on the bench in the Spanish capital.