Jamie Carragher not surprised to see Trent Alexander-Arnold left out of England squad
The former Liverpool defender is not surprised that Trent Alexander-Arnold was axed from England duty this week
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Jamie Carragher is not surprised by Trent Alexander-Arnold’s shock omission from the England squad as he has doubts over whether the Liverpool right-back fits into Gareth Southgate’s system.
The 22-year-old was surprisingly dropped from the Three Lions team by Southgate in Thursday’s squad announcement, with right-backs Kyle Walker, Reece James and Kieran Trippier all being selected instead.
Alexander-Arnold has suffered a difficult season with Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool but former Reds defender Carragher claims the right-back has never convinced Southgate that he can be a first-choice option on the right-hand side.
Carragher told The Telegraph: “Trent Alexander-Arnold’s omission from the England squad is no surprise to me. I’ve had my suspicions for a while that the Liverpool defender is in a fight to make it to the European Championship.
“Southgate has never seemed convinced Alexander-Arnold suits England’s system, or to be more specific how often he likes to switch between a back four and three centre-backs.
“Southgate does not want a playmaker at right-back. He wants a traditional right-back or wing-back.”
Read more:
Alexander-Arnold had a stellar season last term as Liverpool won their first Premier League title in 30 years, with the right-back registering 13 league assists and winning the PFA Young Player of the Year Award.
But the right-back has struggled to replicate similar numbers with just one goal and three assists in the top-flight this season.
The omission from the England squad is the young right-back’s first career setback since he broke into the Liverpool first-team four years ago and Carragher believes Alexander-Arnold can bounce back from this disappointing career moment.
The former Liverpool star added: “He won’t feel this way today, but Southgate’s decision can do him more good than harm. It will give his career a jolt and force him to work on those defensive areas which need improvement. Because they do. He has no better manager in the world to turn to than Klopp to guide him through that.
“Trent is a fantastic player – one of the best young talents in European football, let alone the Premier League. This feels like one of those moments he will look back upon as firing him up to unlock more of his incredible talent.
“Being left out of the next few England games is no more than a bump in the road in a career which has already hit the greatest heights at club level. He will be back in an England shirt soon enough.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments