Trent Alexander-Arnold described himself as “absolutely gutted” to have suffered a fresh injury problem that will force him to miss at least the rest of 2025 while he recovers.
Not long back from a hamstring problem that forced him to sit out seven games—plus two others unused on the bench—Alexander-Arnold had to come out of Real Madrid’s 3–0 win over Athletic Club only 10 minutes into the second half because of a quad injury.
In a social media post, the former Liverpool defender confirmed he won’t play again until 2026.
“Absolutely gutted about this one,” Alexander-Arnold, addressing his Instagram followers. “The timing of it hurts but I will work hard to come back stronger and better.
“See you in 2026, Madridistas.”
Alexander-Arnold Set for Two Months Out
After initial concerns of a lengthy layoff, reports suggested that Alexander-Arnold is expected to miss around two months. That timeframe puts him on course to return in early February.
Assuming he is declared healthy again in the first week of February, the right back would miss up to 14 games across four different competitions. Between now and then, Los Blancos are stretched across La Liga, the Champions League, Copa del Rey and Supercopa de España.
Games Alexander-Arnold Is Set to Miss
| Date | Opponent | Competition |
|---|---|---|
| Dec. 7, 2025 | Celta Vigo (H) | La Liga |
| Dec. 10, 2025 | Man City (H) | Champions League |
| Dec. 14, 2025 | Alavés (A) | La Liga |
| TBC | TBC | Copa del Rey |
| Dec. 20, 2025 | Sevilla (H) | La Liga |
| Jan. 4, 2026 | Real Betis (H) | La Liga |
| Jan. 8, 2026 | Atlético Madrid (N) | Supercopa de España |
| Jan. 11, 2026* | TBC | Supercopa de España |
| TBC* | TBC | Copa del Rey |
| Jan. 18, 2026 | Levante (H) | La Liga |
| Jan. 20, 2026 | Monaco (H) | Champions League |
| Jan. 25, 2026 | Villarreal (A) | La Liga |
| Jan. 28, 2026 | Benfica (A) | Champions League |
| Feb. 1, 2026 | Rayo Vallecano (H) | La Liga |
*dependent on cup progression
Real Madrid’s Right Back Hole
Dani Carvajal was already injured and Real Madrid don’t have another senior right back, which gives manager Xabi Alonso a massive headache during a busy part of the season.
The club captain is sidelined with a knee injury and is not on course to return before late January.
It was expected that the pair would have to share game time this season, which was likely to satisfy neither, but now both are simultaneously injured.
The burden to plug the gap is expected to fall on midfielder Federico Valverde again. The Uruguay international has already spent six weeks of October into November at right back to cover Carvajal and Alexander-Arnold’s previous injury absences.
He has played the position semi-regularly over the past 18 months, notably when he captained Real Madrid to victory over Manchester City in a two-legged Champions League playoff last season.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Emotional Trent Alexander-Arnold Breaks Silence on Devastating New Injury.
