Graeme Souness was insistent that Trent Alexander-Arnold had to be included in Gareth Southgate’s England squad after the fullback’s omission from the side set to face Germany.
The Liverpool star has struggled to break into the Three Lions boss’ plans since he took over the reins in 2016, with the former’s defensive abilities inviting relentless criticism.
“For tournament football, you have to start a game believing you are going to play the very best of what team you are playing against,” the ex-Red told talkSPORT.
“In that sense, you might start with a better defender but you’ve got to involve Trent in your World Cup squad.
“A simple way of putting it is if you are chasing a game then he’s your man. If you are getting to the last 10 or 15 minutes and you are holding on to something then I don’t think you will introduce Trent in that situation.
“Certainly, when you are looking for a goal then he’s your man. He’s got the most incredible qualities when you get in that last third.”
Jurgen Klopp may be inclined to argue there’s little point in the Scouser showing up at all for the national side if only to be used as an impact sub, of course.
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Gareth Southgate has struggled to find a place for Trent Alexander-Arnold in his England first-XI
As a player of obvious world-class quality – and arguably the globe’s leading right-back when in form – the idea of Trent being reduced to a cameo player seems absolutely unthinkable.
We can understand how his recent performances will have factored into Southgate’s decision-making, though that hardly excuses the head coach’s prior calls when the 23-year-old was thriving in a side actively competing for a quadruple.
EOTK Insider Opinion: Trent will never win with England while Gareth Southgate is manager
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