Alexander-Arnold has had to share game time with Dani Carvajal in the early weeks of 2025–26, after the Bernabéu legend recovered from his own long-term ACL layoff. But given the chance to start the club’s first European match of the season, the former Liverpool fullback lasted only five minutes before needing to be replaced by the veteran.

Reports suggest Alexander-Arnold could miss up to two months, meaning he may not be back until after the November international break. The player himself has now addressed supporters, giving no timeframe on his possible return, but putting up a fighting response to the setback.

“Will be back as soon as possible,” he stated on social media.

“Stronger than before. See you soon, Madridistas.”

Alexander-Arnold last five minutes of the game. / Mateo Villalba Sanchez/Getty Images

If Alexander-Arnold is sidelined for around eight weeks, he could miss as many as 11 games, including the first Clásico of the season against Barcelona at the Bernabéu in late October and a reunion with Liverpool at Anfield in the Champions League in early November.

Los Blancos have four games before the end of September alone, facing Espanyol, Levante, Atlético Madrid and Kairat Almaty as the intensity of the schedule ramps up. The trip to Almaty, which is near China’s western border, is an 8,000-mile round trip and an almost 12-hour flight each way.

Xabi Alonso has already taken steps to preserve the freshness of his squad, benching Vinícius Júnior for the Marseille game and defending that decision as nothing more than a rotation strategy.

The return of Jude Bellingham following shoulder surgery in the summer is a timely boost. The Englishman was on the bench, as an unused substitute, on Tuesday night for the first time since the FIFA Club World Cup semifinal in early July.