With less than a month to go before the deadline to announce his World Cup squad, England manager Thomas Tuchel finds himself facing the familiar set of selection dilemmas that come with leading the Three Lions into a major tournament.
The German coach assessed as many as 37 players during the March international friendlies, a number that made the absences of certain big names even more notable than those who were actually selected.
One of the most high-profile omissions was Real Madrid’s Trent Alexander-Arnold, who has earned 34 caps for England since making his international debut in 2018.
Tuchel must first submit a preliminary list of 55 players to FIFA by May 11, before finalising his 26-man squad by May 30.
Alexander-Arnold, currently nearing the end of his first season with Real Madrid following his transfer from Liverpool last summer, has yet to feature in any of the four major international tournaments since his 2018 debut as England’s first-choice right-back.
With the 27-year-old currently appearing to be on the fringes of the squad, questions have been raised about the exclusion of a player with such exceptional technical ability and the capacity to influence matches from deep positions.
Among those advocating for the Liverpool academy graduate is former Reds full-back Stephen Warnock, who feels that discussions surrounding Alexander-Arnold often overlook his broader contributions.
“People tend to focus on Trent’s defensive side and assume he’s not as strong as others,” Warnock tells FourFourTwo.
Known for his outstanding passing range and vision, Alexander-Arnold, according to Warnock, offers England something unique in attack.
“I would pick him every single day of the week for what he brings going forward, for his ability to change the course of a game,” Warnock insists.
Warnock, who earned two England caps and was part of the 2010 World Cup squad as Ashley Cole’s understudy at left-back, concedes that Alexander-Arnold’s attacking instincts can sometimes come at a defensive cost.
“But defensively, perhaps there’s been a lack of trust,” he admits.
Chris Flanagan
Senior Staff Writer
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