“Part of me thinks England are mishandling a generational talent.” Gary Neville sounds the alarm over the Three Lions’ failure to unlock Trent Alexander-Arnold.
When it was announced that former Liverpool player Trent Alexander-Arnold wouldn’t be included in England’s World Cup squad, many weren’t surprised.
The Scouser had been left out of the Three Lions squad frequently under Gareth Southgate. It seems Thomas Tuchel has a similar thought, though this past 12 months have been difficult for the 27-year-old.
Since moving to Real Madrid, muscle injuries have been a common theme, something that was controlling him at the end of his time at Anfield. Dani Carvajal has been a regular for Los Blancos, despite Alexander-Arnold’s magnificent talent. What makes matters worse is who took his place in the national team setup.
Reece James has been a solid choice for England ever since he broke into the Chelsea side. However, Ezri Konsa and Tino Livramento have also been selected ahead of the former Red. Gary Neville admits this must be tough for Alexander-Arnold to have to deal with.
Gary Neville on Trent Alexander-Arnold and England
Ahead of international tournaments, a lot has been said about the fullback, whether he’s in the squad or not. His attacking talent is impossible not to see the quality of it, but the same can be said for defensive fragility when a Liverpool player.
This could be a key reason behind the German manager’s viewpoint of picking Konsa and Livramento. Speaking on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast, Neville claims it might have been easier to accept in the past.
He said, “I think he can live with Reece and Kyle, because they are two exceptional fullbacks. But now, when you have (Ezri) Konsa playing in front of you and (Tino) Livramento. It’s now Gareth Southgate, Thomas Tuchel. Are they both wrong?
“Why would a manager leave a player out if they thought they would make them better to win the World Cup“
In the build-up to the 2024 Euros and during the tournament, Alexander-Arnold played a bit under Southgate. However, often as a midfielder, who looked to add that creative spark that was required. The deeper they went in the tournament, the fewer chances he had to be the figure to lead his country.Neville admits that this is a challenge for England, and perhaps one they have gotten wrong.
“Part of me thinks we are mishandling a generational talent, and it’s the same old England. How can we not get a player with that level of ability into our team?”
Though he reiterates his point that to achieve the ultimate success, they have to be solid at the back. This is something that doesn’t necessarily fit the 27-year-old’s skillset.
“Then part of me thinks World Cups are about being the best teams defensively. We know the teams that win it ordinarily the best teams defensively.”
Liverpool criticism and tough test ahead
When he was a Liverpool player, he received a lot of backlash from the media, particularly on a matchday. Neville admits that he was one of the pundits who would feed this narrative.
“I was probably one of the first commentators, pundits to give him a hard time for his defending being not as serious. I used to say to him, he’s going to have to get serious about his defending, or it’s going to cost him.”
That was never his true role under Jurgen Klopp, which was often supported by a midfielder to centre back to unleash his frightening talent. Something Real Madrid are failing to understand, and it could backfire on the Scouser.
Jose Mourinho’s imminent return to the Bernabeu throws plenty of questions into the air over the Englishman’s future. Denzel Dumfries is also on the verge of moving to the Spanish capital, despite previous links to Anfield.
A move higher up could be in the playbook, but the 15-time Champions League winners have an array of midfielders already. His departure was something expected for a long time, but it has not gone to plan so far. With the possibility of it being over before it has truly begun hanging over Alexander-Arnold ahead of another tough campaign.
