Real Madrid spent around €180million (£156.2m; $209.5m) on four new signings as a new era began under Xabi Alonso last summer.

Dean Huijsen, Franco Mastantuono, Alvaro Carreras, and Trent Alexander-Arnold have experienced mixed fortunes since, albeit it is early days for their Madrid careers, while Alonso’s project is in jeopardy after just over seven months in charge. All eyes are on their Supercopa de Espana semi-final against Atletico Madrid in Saudi Arabia tonight, before a potential final against Barcelona on Sunday.

Here, our Real Madrid correspondents Mario Cortegana and Guillermo Rai rate the start of each of the summer arrivals.

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Trent Alexander-Arnold (€10m from Liverpool)

Alexander-Arnold has not had an easy start, with his playing time limited to 497 minutes — mainly due to three muscle injuries since July.

His arrival from Liverpool was brought forward so he could play in the Club World Cup, costing Madrid €10m — they could have signed him for free after that tournament — but there have been complicating factors.

He picked up two injuries, to his thigh and ankle, in February and March. Liverpool coach Arne Slot preferred to start Conor Bradley in the final stretch of the season, with his impending exit to Madrid an open secret.

Alexander-Arnold then said goodbye to his home of 20 years, joined up with England for the June international break, did not feature at all in a June 10 friendly against Senegal, was unveiled as a Madrid player two days later, and then flew to Miami on June 14.

“We signed him for six seasons, not six matches,” a club source — who, like all those cited in this article, asked to remain anonymous to protect their role — told The Athletic in August.

During the Club World Cup, Madrid called for patience. Other sources at the training ground later pointed out that Alexander-Arnold was struggling to find the right tempo and rhythm.

Trent Alexander-Arnold made a good start at the Club World Cup but has stuttered since (Richard Pelham/Getty Images)

But injuries have been the main factor in Alexander-Arnold’s limited impact. A minor muscle problem in his right leg prevented him from playing in the Club World Cup semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain, where Madrid were thrashed 4-0. A hamstring injury in September and a left quad injury in December mean he has not been available for 22 matches.

That has been a big problem, particularly given the recurring absences of Madrid’s other right-back, captain Dani Carvajal, who has faced time out with a calf injury and following knee surgery in October.

Alexander-Arnold’s latest setback came when he was starting to settle. The initial estimate in December was that the 27-year-old would be out for around two months. Sources with knowledge of the case expect him to be back by the end of January. He was included in Madrid’s squad for the Supercopa, although he is not expected to play.