Trent Alexander-Arnold is already making an impression at Real Madrid, with one teammate describing him as ‘horrible’ and ‘a nightmare’ in training.
The new arrival from Liverpool has been thrown straight into action at the Club World Cup, where Real Madrid are into the quarter-finals.
After topping their group, the Spanish giants faced Juventus in a blockbuster last 16 clash on Tuesday, although the match will not go down as a classic.
It was a pretty tame affair in Florida, with both teams struggling with the heat, but Real Madrid coming out on top with a 1-0 win which they deserved.
21-year-old Gonzalo Garcia is emerging as a star of the tournament as he scored his third goal in the States, while Alexander-Arnold chalked up his first assist for the club.
The England international put in a great cross from the right which Garcia headed home and his teammate was far from surprised to see the 26-year-old delivering the goods.
Goalkeeper Thibault Courtois says he has already seen enough of Alexander-Arnold to think he is the best at set-pieces and crossing that he has witnessed.
‘I think he could have already had a few in these four games. His pre-assist against Pachuca was also really good,’ Courtois told DAZN of the full-back’s first Real assist.
‘In training he’s horrible, his kicking is amazing. His free-kicks, his corner kicks are really on another level.
‘I don’t think I saw some guy with his quality of kicking and crossing so as a goalkeeper sometimes it’s a nightmare. But it keeps you on edge and keeps you working hard, trying to save them, to make him better and myself better.’
Speaking after the win that sets up a quarter-final clash with either Borussia Dortmund or Monterrey, Alonso said of his fellow former Liverpool star: ‘Trent? I believe in him. He still needs time, but he’s an amazing player.’
He added: ‘Crossing is his trademark; he’s done 500 of those. On the right, we sometimes need an extra foot. One-on-one dribbling isn’t his thing.
‘He comes to Madrid to compete; he’s barely trained. Everything takes time.
‘Everything takes time, but I’m confident we’ll have a reliable full-back. First, we have to improve as a team.’
The Englishman celebrated on Instagram, posting pictures of him putting in the cross and then celebrating with Garcia.
He captioned the images: ‘See you in the Quarters! Vamosss.’
The goal-scorer got involved, thanking his teammate by replying: ‘What a ball 🫡.’