Trent Alexander-Arnold linked with stunning Premier League return amid calls for Real Madrid patience

Trent Alexander-Arnold has been told he has an ‘interesting’ opportunity if he returns to the Premier League.

Meanwhile, the full-back’s Real Madrid future requires ‘patience’ after a slow start to life in Spain.

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That is according to European football journalist Andy Brassell ahead of Alexander-Arnold’s return from injury.

The 27-year-old has missed Real Madrid’s last 12 matches in all competitions, with a muscle issue ruling him out since early December.

However, he has been tipped for a long-awaited return to fitness in time for their clash with Valencia on February 8.

His comeback will see the former Liverpool defender play under a new manager after Xabi Alonso left the club.

The Spaniard has since been replaced by Alvaro Arbeloa until the end of the season.

Alexander-Arnold made 16 appearances under Alonso following his move to the club in the summer.

Having left boyhood club Liverpool, the England international penned a six-year deal with the LaLiga giants at the start of June.

Injuries have stalled his time in Spain so far, though, including a month-long absence due to a hamstring injury suffered in September.

However, Alexander-Arnold had made three consecutive league starts before his current lay-off, albeit under former manager Alonso.

Brassell believes he may now need to be patient under Arbeloa if he is to have a future at the club.

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It comes as doubts linger over how long Dani Carvajal will remain at the Santiago Bernabeu.

The 34-year-old, who has won 26 trophies with Los Blancos, is out of contract at the end of this season.

Speaking exclusively to talkSPORT, Brassell explained: “A lot of what’s happened for Trent Alexander-Arnold at Real Madrid is totally out of his control.

“I guess what’s always been one of the issues is that he was potentially replacing someone who was really part of the Real Madrid furniture in Dani Carvajal, a very different type of right back but someone with great influence in the dressing room. He’s a serial winner.

“Even if he is getting close to the end, I think he wanted to go out on his own terms.

“Whether that’s at the end of this season or the end of next season or whenever, I’m sure he didn’t appreciate the implication that he was being moved on, especially while he was injured, and nor did a lot of people around him.

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“Now, I think you have to work out where Alvaro Arbeloa is coming from as well, and he’s also very much part of the Bernabeu furniture. So he is going to be ‘Team Carvajal’, there’s no doubt about that.

“Does that mean over time that Trent Alexander-Arnold’s not got a future? I don’t think it does, but I think it means patience. I think some people around Carvajal are considering a threat, obviously, and that’s understandable.

“The fact that Alexander-Arnold hasn’t had the chance to establish himself, and he has had good games for Real Madrid, let’s not make any bones about that.

“I think it was unfortunate at the point that he got injured, he was in his best run of form since he got there.

“He just played a really good game away at Athletic (Bilbao) when they won that game quite comfortably in a place that traditionally is quite difficult for them to go to. So it’s been unfortunate for him.

“But he’s going to come back in the very near future and we’ll see what happens.”

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If Alexander-Arnold is to leave Real Madrid sooner than expected, a return to English football could be on the cards, says Brassell.

Prior to his summer switch, the two-time Premier League winner spent 21 years with Liverpool after coming through the club’s academy.

After breaking into the first-team, he made 354 appearances for the Reds.

However, Brassell believes the manner of his exit, which came after a new deal could not be agreed, means a move to a Premier League rival is not out of the question.

He added: “In terms of what Trent Alexander-Arnold’s next move might be, if it was to be the end for him at Real Madrid, I don’t believe that’s on the table at the moment, even if it has been a little bit more difficult at the beginning than he would have liked.

“I guess Manchester City is quite an interesting option, because they’ve definitely got a hole at right-back and you could argue that because of the terms on which he left Liverpool, what really does he have left to lose in terms of how people look at him?

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“He just has to get on in his career and do it for him from this point. I suppose the fact that he came for free for Real Madrid in terms of a transfer fee means anything they’re able to generate on him would be pure profit, give or take the little bit they paid to get him over the line for the Club World Cup.”

Pep Guardiola has seemingly converted midfielder Matheus Nunes into a makeshift right-back since he joined Manchester City from Wolves.

Meanwhile, Rico Lewis, who has made only 10 league appearances this term, has often been deployed at left-back or in midfield rather than his original right-back position.

Beyond Nunes and Lewis, central defenders John Stones and Abdukodir Khusanov have also emerged as options at right-back for Guardiola of late.