Real Madrid’s new signing, Trent Alexander-Arnold, is gradually settling into the team and beginning to show flashes of his quality. The England right-back shone brightly as Real Madrid defeated RB Salzburg 3-0 in their final Group H game of the FIFA Club World Cup.
Speaking to the media after the game, Trent was full of praise for his teammates Vinicius Jr. and Jude Bellingham, both of whom had impressive outings. Praising Vinicius, he said (h/t DAZN): “He has given me difficult matches… It’s good that it happens to others now.”
On Bellingham, he added: “As I said about Jude, he’s a massive player for the team. He’s shown again that he’s world-class for many years. He’s one of the best players in the world, so it’s amazing to be surrounded by these players.”
Talking about the team’s performance on the night, the new signing remarked: “A great performance from the lads. We kept our first clean sheet of the tournament, which is important. We played a great game as a team.”
About his own adaptation to the club, Trent added: “Learning the language was hardest at first. The adjustment period is now over; now it’s time to move up a level.”
Regarding the three-man defensive system that Xabi Alonso tried out, the Real Madrid summer arrival said: “Everyone’s got to get used to it. It worked, clearly, so that’s a good start, but obviously we have a lot of work to do. It wasn’t a perfect game, but good signs. It was our best game so far as a team. It was the best game I’ve had.”
Continuing, he mentioned: “Xabi speaks to me a lot individually to make sure I understand everything that gets said. The meetings are in Spanish, so he goes out of his way, and the staff goes out of their way to make sure I understand the game plan.”
On how it is being surrounded by quality players at Real Madrid, Trent responded: “Every player is impressing me. From when I played against Real Madrid, (I knew) all the players are world-class. But just the way the lads are; when you come in, you expect it to be very intimidating, you don’t know what to expect. But it was very warm, very welcoming; they made me feel at home straight away, which was amazing.”
On the Round of 16 clash against Juventus, he added: “The history of this club shows that we win trophies, and that’s what we do. It’s part of the DNA of the club. That’s our aim and ambition, and that’s what we want to do as a team.”
