Trent Alexander-Arnold: should he be in England’s World Cup squad?

Gareth Southgate will name his 26-man England squad for the 2022 Fifa World Cup on Thursday and one of the biggest talking points ahead of the announcement is whether there will be a spot on the plane to Qatar for Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Liverpool’s full-back certainly has the attacking prowess to cause damage from the right flank, but there are question marks if he is defensively strong enough.

A Premier League, Uefa Champions League, and a Fifa Club World Cup winner with Liverpool, Alexander-Arnold is an automatic pick for the Anfield club. But at international level his progress has been mixed. Ruled out of Euro 2020 with a thigh injury, could there be more big tournament heartbreak for the 24-year-old?

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A ‘brutal blow’ to his World Cup chances

Alexander-Arnold was named in Southgate’s squad for the 2018 World Cup as an uncapped 19-year-old. Making his debut in a pre-tournament friendly against Costa Rica, he then started England’s final group game in Russia, a 1-0 defeat against Belgium in Kaliningrad.

With 17 senior caps for the Three Lions, the right-back has one international goal to his name, scoring in the 3-0 win over the United States in November 2018. His last appearance, however, came in June in the 1-0 defeat against Hungary.

Southgate has preferred Kieran Trippier, Reece James and Kyle Walker in the right full-back/wing-back positions in recent months. In September’s Uefa Nations League fixtures, Alexander-Arnold was an unused sub in the 1-0 loss against Italy and did not feature in the matchday squad at all for the 3-3 draw with Germany.

In September England’s boss explained his decision to leave out the defender, saying Trippier’s “all-round game” was “ahead” of Alexander-Arnold’s. This was a “brutal blow” to his World Cup hopes, said Keifer MacDonald in the Liverpool Echo.

‘He could be so valuable’

England are blessed in the right full-back position, but Southgate does have injury worries over James and also form worries over Alexander-Arnold. One person who would definitely take him to the World Cup is Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp. He backed his “exceptional” player and said he would always pick him. Adding that he just “doesn’t get” the criticism of Alexander-Arnold, the German coach was adamant that “if he was not a good defender, he would not play”.

Liverpool’s Dutch centre-half Virgil van Dijk is also “surprised” to see Alexander-Arnold not starting for England. Speaking to Gary Neville on The Overlap, the Netherlands captain added that “Trent should at the very least” be in the squad and “he can be so valuable” for England.

The ‘joker’ in the pack for Southgate?

If England are to do well in Qatar then they have to “go on the attack”, said former Manchester City defender Micah Richards. Speaking to The Mirror, the pundit has urged Southgate to “unleash” Alexander-Arnold at the World Cup and believes he should be key to the England manager’s plans. “Trent is my favourite – I love him,” Richards said. “Obviously, he has gone through a difficult patch at Liverpool, but what he possesses going forward is ridiculous.”

However, Gary Neville can’t see how Southgate could go into a World Cup knockout game playing the Liverpool star. Despite wanting him to be the “greatest right-back of all time”, because “he’s got the ability to do that”, Neville said that Alexander-Arnold could “cost” England. “I don’t think Gareth will trust him in a knockout game,” he said on Sky Sports.

Neville does think that Alexander-Arnold could be included in Southgate’s 26-man squad as a “joker in the pack” – someone to bring off the bench if England need a goal. “That’s the decision Gareth has to make.”

England kick-off their 2022 Fifa World Cup group B campaign against Iran at the Khalifa International Stadium in Ar-Rayyan on 21 November (1pm GMT).