Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso said that Trent Alexander-Arnold and the other new signing sessions from the club had performed well on Tuesday in their La Liga opener and did not seem to be weighed by the pressure of playing for an expected home audience.
Defenders Alexander-Arnold, Dean Huijsen and Alvaro Carreras all started in the 1-0 win over Osasuna, while the 18-year-old midfielder Franco Mastantuono came as a replacement. Kylian Mbappe’s 51st minute Penalty yielded the host a victory.
«I didn’t feel that the shirt or the bernabeu weighed them,» Alonso said reporters from the newcomers.
“The four performed well, perhaps not spectacular. But they were solid, they didn’t make mistakes, they were not nervous and they were well integrated into the team.
«Those who started and Mastantuono, who came in the second half, brought energy. This mix was good with those who were already there … The first take I can take a lot of positives.»
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Rodrygo was an unused replacement against Osasuna, because media reports connect the 24-year-old Brazil-wing player with a move to Manchester City, but Alonso said that people should not read too much in his recent lack of playing time.
«Today it is just one game, we can leave the rest,» he added. «What counts is this season and of course I count on Rodrygo. It’s only one game, we don’t have to read too far in the future.»
