It doesn't look good for Trent! Xabi Alonso hails Dani Carvajal's 'competitive gene' and expects Real Madrid captain to keep 'flourishing' after Alexander-Arnold dropped to the bench again

After suffering an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury early on in the previous season, the general consensus in the media and among the fans was that Carvajal was only going to decline having turned 33 earlier this year. However, the newly-appointed captain has made a sensational return from a long injury layoff, giving the impression that he was never sidelined. After making a small cameo off the bench in the Club World Cup, the Spanish international looks as fresh as ever, showing incredible defensive awareness and intensity. All naysayers who were against Madrid's decision to extend the veteran defender's contract just hours after he was stretchered off the field last October have been silenced, and how.

Head coach Alonso has opted to rotate the full-backs early on in the ongoing campaign. In Madrid's four league games so far, both Carvajal and Alexander-Arnold have started two games apiece. Any notion that the former Liverpool right-back was coming to the Santiago Bernabeu to replace Carvajal have been thrown out of the window, with the Madrid academy graduate adamant on keeping his role as the first-choice right-back. It was never going to be easy to relegate the captain to the bench. He was, after all, a genuine shout for the Ballon d'Or less than a year ago. Now, despite claiming that the duo share a "healthy" competition, Alonso's latest remarks might hint at the Englishman spending an extended period on the bench after he featured for just eight minutes against Real Sociedad at the weekend.

Speaking to reporters ahead of the Marseille clash, Alonso was effusive in his praise for Carvajal. 

"There's one aspect that hasn't changed much: the competitive gene he has. Because he came in 2013-14 and he already had it," the Madrid gaffer said. "Since he arrived from Bayer Leverkusen, he was very important, and that first season... he gave us so much, even winning the Champions League. Over the years, that hasn't changed much, but his personality, maturity, influence; what it means to be a captain with his experience, as well as the respect his teammates have for him and what he has to transmit, that responsibility he has towards the group, is something that has evolved. 

"In the United States, he was still recovering, but now that he's fit and ready to play, he has a very important positive influence on the rest. And those leaders we have to keep... not building, but flourishing within a locker room, are fundamental. Carva is one of them, although there are many others we need to create a strong core, to pull the rest together. With Carva, you see that over time, he's embraced it, just like others did and those he saw. Now, it's his turn."

Los Blancos will kick off their quest for a record 16th European title on Tuesday, as they welcome Roberto De Zerbi's Marseille at the Bernabeu. Then, they will face Espanyol on Saturday with the aim of making it five La Liga wins in a row.