Jamie Carragher believes Trent Alexander-Arnold made a serious mistake by leaving Liverpool to join Real Madrid in May 2025. The former Merseyside defender would even welcome the return of the England international to “Anfield“, where he grew up and established himself as one of the best attacking full-backs in the world.
Alexander-Arnold came through Liverpool's academy and made his debut for the first team in the 2016/17 season. He has made 354 appearances for the club in all competitions, winning two Premier League titles, the Champions League, the FA Cup, two League Cups, the European Super Cup and the Club World Cup.
His statistics are also impressive. No defender in Premier League history has provided more assists than his 64. His former teammate Andy Robertson is second with 62. Alexander-Arnold has also scored 82 goals and provided 82 assists in the league, with only Leighton Baines ahead of him among defenders with 85.
Despite these achievements, his decision to let his contract expire and move to Real Madrid has caused discontent among some Liverpool supporters. However, Carragher believes that his return could be the right move for all parties.
„I would bring him back. He will receive a lot of criticism because I think he made a mistake. He made a big mistake by going to Madrid. Liverpool definitely lack his creativity“, said Carragher in a comment quoted by the Spanish publication “AS”.
The former footballer also drew attention to the limited role of Alexander-Arnold in the Spanish giants. According to him, the Englishman is lagging behind in the competition for the starting spot on the right flank of the defense, with Federico Valverde being used in this position, and other options getting an advantage.
„Currently he is the third choice for the right back at Real. They play with a midfielder like Valverde in this position. Even in El Clasico, the other right back, Denzel Dumfries, came into play before him. "When you're third choice at a club, it's obvious they want you to go," Carragher added.
This season, Alexander-Arnold has made seven appearances in all competitions for Real Madrid, four of them as a starter. He has played a total of 345 minutes and has one assist.