Trent Alexander-Arnold forced off after five minutes in Champions League tie

Trent Alexander-Arnold was just one piece of Real Madrid’s offseason overhaul, joining from Liverpool just before the summer’s Club World Cup.

The 26-year-old defender arrived in the Spanish capital along with new manager Xabi Alonso, defenders Dean Huijsen and Alvaro Carreras, and young winger Franco Mastantuono.

Just four minutes into Real Madrid’s opening Champions League match of the season, Trent Alexander-Arnold was forced off with what appeared to be a hamstring injury.

The former Liverpool defender started the league phase match against Marseille but was withdrawn in the opening minutes, pulling up and clutching the back of his left thigh. He had received a short outside the right edge of Real Madrid’s penalty area and grabbed his leg as the ball rolled towards the touchline.

He was replaced by Dani Carvajal, who himself is only recently back from a serious knee injury and has been sharing time with Alexander-Arnold at the right-back position.

Soft tissue injuries have been a worrying part of Trent Alexander-Arnold’s career trajectory.

The 26-year-old missed multiple matches last season for Liverpool due to muscle problems, suffering two separate hamstring injuries, one in November and one in February.

In the previous campaign, he missed 16 matches due to a knee issue, plus another hamstring injury that forced him out for four games in September of that season.

Alexander-Arnold missed time in March 2022 with a small hamstring injury and missed five games in December 2020 thanks to a calf problem.