With competition from Brahim Díaz and Franco Mastantuono, Rodrygo will have to continue proving his worth to Alonso if he wants to regain his starting job. The longer the Brazil international sits on the bench, though, the closer he could come to a potential exit.

Real Madrid head coach Xabi Alonso has said he is counting on Rodrygo amid links to Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City. After playing a bit-part role at the Club World Cup earlier in the summer, the Brazilian continues to be linked with a Santiago Bernabeu exit before the transfer window closes.

Real Madrid is focused on tonight's match against Osasuna, as this will be the debut of the 'merengues' in 2025-2026. This explains why Xabi Alonso, at

“At right-back, we’ve got two players: [Dani] Carvajal, who’s trained a lot more and is much closer to his level, and Trent [Alexander-Arnold], who has arrived from Liverpool and is very good for the level of the squad. We’ve got a lot of games, and we need this level,” he continued.

Franco Mastantuono, the new Real Madrid player, had chosen Lionel Messi as his favorite player, and coach Xabi Alonso gave his opinion on the matter.

Arda Güler is a player whose life has been changed by the arrival of Xabi Alonso to the Real Madrid bench. The Turk is going through his best moment in

Brahim Díaz, though not starting, remains an important option. Alonso praised the Moroccan’s technical quality, vision, and ability in tight spaces. He said: “I found Brahim in good shape. I knew him before and I understand well the difference he can make, and the way he reads his position on the pitch.”