Mourinho makes thoughts clear on Alexander-Arnold experiment

Jose Mourinho insists that Trent Alexander-Arnold is "not a midfielder" despite deploying the ex-Liverpool man in the middle of the park on Tuesday night.

The Special One continued his positive start to his second spell at the Bernabeu as Real Madrid saw off Inter Milan to win their opening Champions League game.

Mourinho was short of midfield options given suspensions for Eduardo Camavinga, Arda Guler and Bernardo Silva, which meant he got creative and played Alexander-Arnold alongside Federico Valverde in midfield. The former Liverpool man played in the position as a youngster and has also occupied that role with England previously.

Gareth Southgate played him there during Euro 2024 before ending the experiment after only two group games and during his Liverpool days he often pushed up into midfield, but from his right-back position, and Mourinho clearly sees him as a full-back.

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The Portuguese coach said: "He has played midfield with England and Liverpool... but he is not a midfielder. He has played very well. He has interpreted what he needed to really well, tactically. Both him and Valverde have worked very well at this level."

Alexander-Arnold created two chances and attempted more crosses than any other Real player during his time in midfield, but equally failed to win a tackle. His passing accuracy was also down at 83.3 percent, which Mourinho put down to the positional tweak.

"He has lost some balls because it is not the same to play in this position compared to at right-back," he said. "The intensity of physical work is quite difficult. He has a different engine. He has given 100%. He left the pitch with nothing left to give."

Alexander-Arnold was subbed off in the latter stages as Real looked to hold on to their 2-1 advantage. The Englishman's move to the Spanish capital has come with its challenges, following his acrimonious departure from Anfield, which saw some fans boo the player.

He's already playing under his third different manager but has faced notable competition for a starting spot, having been a regular at Liverpool. Last year he had Dani Carvajal as his rival and this season Real signed Denzel Dumfries, meaning Alexander-Arnold is having to work for his minutes.

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