Former England international defender Gary Neville has explained how he doesn’t think that Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold will be going to this summer’s European Championship.
Things haven’t gone quite so well this season for the 22-year-old defender, valued at £90m on Transfermarkt, with this report from The Athletic showing just how much he has dropped off after an impressive past few seasons where he racked up 27 assists in the Premier League over the past three campaigns. It’s poor play like that which is helping him get lost in a sea of other England right-backs, of which there are plenty to choose from.
And speaking on Sky Sports as part of an in-depth discussion on the right-back issue, Neville claimed that Alexander-Arnold’s omission from the previous England squad might be a hint as to what is coming this summer:
“I don’t think he [Gareth Southgate] will include him. I think that leaving him out in the March/April friendlies are a precursor to leaving him out in the summer. I don’t think he would have just dropped that bomb.
“So I think he’s getting everyone used to the fact that this incredible talent is maybe not going to a tournament, unless [Kyle] Walker gets injured or [Kieran] Trippier gets injured, or [Reece] James gets injured, etc.”
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TIF Thoughts on Gary Neville’s comments about Trent Alexander-Arnold playing for England…
Despite incredibly high praise coming Alexander-Arnold’s way, it is worth noting that he has never been guaranteed a spot with the England team, only making ten starts since his debut in 2018, so leaving him out might not be that big a ‘bomb’ that Neville hints at.
But given the step down that he has had for Liverpool, it really does show the kind of work that he has to put in between now and the end of the season if he does want to be considered for the England squad this summer.
In other news: ‘As important as any Liverpool player’ – Robbie Earl hails £36m-rated Liverpool ace