Trent Alexander-Arnold: Can He Thrive as a Midfielder?
The question refuses to die: can Trent Alexander-Arnold really live as a midfielder?
Gareth Southgate tried to answer it at Euro 2024, pushed him into the centre for England, then shut the experiment down after just two group games. At Liverpool, Jurgen Klopp built an entire system on Trent drifting into midfield, dictating play and slicing teams open with that right foot – but always from a starting point at right-back.
Now it is Jose Mourinho’s turn to wrestle with the puzzle. On Tuesday night, in a tight Champions League win over Inter Milan, the Real Madrid coach dropped Alexander-Arnold into midfield from the start.
It felt like a big moment. A different shirt, a different country, the same debate.
Mourinho’s midfield gamble
The context mattered. This was not some grand tactical rebrand drawn up over pre-season. Mourinho’s options were shredded by suspensions to Eduardo Camavinga, Arda Guler and Bernardo Silva, forcing him to improvise.
So Alexander-Arnold lined up in the middle, alongside Federico Valverde, in a role that demanded discipline without the comfort of the touchline. He produced a mixed night: two chances created, more crosses than any other Real player, but not a single tackle won. His passing accuracy dipped to 83.3%, below the standards he usually sets with the ball.
When Inter pulled one back on 77 minutes, Mourinho turned to his bench. Alexander-Arnold’s number went up. The whistles that followed rippled around the Bernabeu, frustration pouring out, though it was hard to pin that specifically on him. The performance as a whole had frayed nerves.
Afterwards, Mourinho cut through any notion that this was the start of a permanent reinvention.
“He has played midfield with England and Liverpool... but he is not a midfielder,” he said, blunt as ever. “He has played very well. He has interpreted what he needed to really well, tactically. Both him and Valverde have worked very well at this level.”
He stressed his gratitude for the shift Alexander-Arnold put in, but stopped well short of promising a new long-term role.
Stuck between positions
This was the first competitive game in which Alexander-Arnold and fellow right-back Denzel Dumfries had started together. Mourinho had already tested the pairing in pre-season against Fiorentina, with Trent at right-back and Dumfries further ahead on the same flank.
That tells its own story. Mourinho still has no fixed answer at right-back. Last season, Alexander-Arnold had to scrap with Dani Carvajal for minutes. This season, the fight is with Dumfries. The England international is battling on two fronts: to nail down a position, and to convince another elite manager that he can be more than just an adventurous full-back.
Inside the club, though, the view is not cold. Mourinho is understood to be impressed by Alexander-Arnold’s performances, his attitude and, crucially, his flexibility. He sees something different to the traditional full-back: a player who can step into central pockets, link play and hurt teams with passing usually associated with No 8s and No 10s.
The tools are undeniable. Passing range. Whipped crosses. Slipped through balls. Set-piece delivery that changes games. Those have always been the pillars of his game.
The England experiment that fizzled out
Southgate saw the same qualities and tried to push them further. In June 2023, Alexander-Arnold wore the England number 10 shirt in Malta, played in midfield and scored in a 4-0 win. It felt like the start of something. He admitted it himself.
“I haven't played it too much, but it feels comfortable,” he told Channel 4. “It feels natural, I will say that. It's somewhere I can see myself playing.”
For the next year, Southgate flirted with the idea. Alexander-Arnold drifted between roles, part full-back, part central playmaker, the tactical conversation constantly swirling around him. Then came Euro 2024. A laboured 1-1 draw with Denmark. An early substitution before the hour mark. The plan, for now, abandoned.
Mourinho’s comments after the Inter game echoed some of those concerns.
“He has lost some balls because it is not the same to play in this position compared to at right-back,” he said. “The intensity of physical work is quite difficult. He has a different engine. He has given 100%. He left the pitch with nothing left to give.”
A talent caught in transition
That last line matters. Nobody doubts the effort. The question is where that effort best serves his team.
Right-back, inverted playmaker, or full-blooded midfielder? For club and country, some of the sharpest minds in the game are still trying to solve the Trent Alexander-Arnold riddle. And with Real Madrid chasing trophies on all fronts, Mourinho will not have long before he has to make a definitive call.
