'Failed to contribute' - Spanish media tear into Trent Alexander-Arnold after 'underwhelming' Real Madrid debut

The 26-year-old made his Madrid bow on Wednesday but failed to fire in his new team's 1-1 draw with Al-Hilal at the Club World Cup. The former Liverpool star, who joined Los Blancos this month for £8.4 million (€10m), played 65 minutes before being substituted by Lucas Vazquez, and now, Spanish journalists have criticised the England international's performance. Some said the right-back "failed to contribute offensively", others believed he was "underwhelming", and one in particular gave him a blank mark on the player ratings.

SPORT, via Liverpool World, gave Alexander-Arnold a 5/10 for his debut and wrote: “Xabi Alonso positioned him inside with the ball, but he never looked comfortable or created any advantage. Physically far from his best, it wasn't the best debut for the Englishman, who also failed to contribute offensively."

Football Espana also gave him the same score, writing: "There has been much talk about Trent Alexander-Arnold ahead of his debut, but it was an underwhelming one. He was not at his best defensively, and he struggled to make an impact in attack before being substituted."

Finally, AS, via Sport Witness, gave him a 'blank rating', with Raul Asencio and Jude Bellingham the only other Madrid players to get that mark. They added that he and fellow summer signing Dean Huijsen have 'much to do' after their debuts, and Alexander-Arnold was signed to ‘terrorise the opposition’ and ‘produce immediately’ - something he fell short of.

While Alexander-Arnold's display has been met with criticism, it is far too soon to judge how he will fare at Madrid. Most players have a proper pre-season to get used to a new team, something he may not have with the Club World Cup and a shorter summer break. But it will take time to find his feet at, arguably, the biggest club in the world - just as was the case for Kylian Mbappe, before he came good.

Alexander-Arnold, who made an emotional exit from Liverpool last month, could make amends for his patchy performance when Madrid take on Pachuca on Sunday in their second group clash of the Club World Cup.