Thibaut Courtois has opened up on why Trent Alexander-Arnold has been a ‘nightmare’ for him since his move to Real Madrid from Liverpool.
The Belgium international has admitted that he is trying to get used to Alexander-Arnold’s style of play, with the 26-year-old tending to drift forward into an attacking position.
Real Madrid successfully convinced Alexander-Arnold to embark on a new chapter with the LaLiga giant. And in their desperation to field the right-back in the Club World Cup, Real Madrid agreed to pay Liverpool a transfer fee despite the player being mere weeks away from free agency.
The Reds banked €10m / £8.4m from the sale, which has been logged as ‘pure profit’ on their books due to Alexander-Arnold’s homegrown status.
Alexander-Arnold has started every Club World Cup game so far, but is now set to face competition from Dani Carvajal after he returned to the bench against Juventus after recovering from a serious knee injury.
In his most recent outings against Juventus, the creative genius bagged his first assist in white for what proved to be the match-winning goal.
Thibaut Courtois has now spoken to DAZN to offer insight on what it’s like playing with Alexander-Arnold.
The Belgian revealed it’s a ‘horrible’ experience coming up against Alexander-Arnold in training who causes him ‘nightmares’.
The Belgian stopper explained:
“I think he could have already had a few [assists] in these four games. His pre-assist against Pachuca was also really good.
“In training he’s horrible, his kicking is amazing. His free-kicks, his corner kicks are really on another level.
“I don’t think I saw some guy with his quality of kicking and crossing so as a goalkeeper sometimes it’s a nightmare.
“But it keeps you on edge and keeps you working hard, trying to save them, to make him better and myself better.”
Alexander-Arnold and Courtois are likely to feature for Madrid again in their blockbuster clash with Borussia Dortmund in the Club World Cup quarter-finals on Saturday.
Recall, Softfootball had previously reported that Trent Alexander-Arnold’s transfer is already paying off as Real Madrid close in on cash windfall.
When Real Madrid decided to pay €10 million to sign Trent Alexander-Arnold early, well before his contract ran out and ahead of the FIFA Club World Cup, many questioned the decision. Couldn’t they have just waited and gotten him for free?
With Florentino Pérez in charge, it was clear the move was well calculated. The Real Madrid president knew that bringing in Alexander-Arnold before the high-intensity Club World Cup would allow the Englishman to train, adapt, and integrate into the system. It also meant manager Xabi Alonso would have his new fullback ready from the start of the tournament.
Financially, the logic made even more sense. When Real Madrid knocked out Juventus in the Round of 16, they earned a whopping €12 million, already more than the €10 million paid to fast-track Alexander-Arnold’s arrival.
