Thomas Tuchel's brutal Trent Alexander-Arnold choice makes snub even worse

Thomas Tuchel announced a 35-man squad for friendlies in the upcoming international break, and the German decided to overlook former Liverpool star Trent Alexander-Arnold

Trent Alexander-Arnold was a surprise omission from the England squad for the upcoming friendlies(Image: Getty Images)

Former Liverpool star Trent Alexander-Arnold has been left out of Thomas Tuchel’s latest England squad, leaving his FIFA World Cup hopes hanging by a thread.

On Friday, England manager Tuchel named his final pre-World Cup squad. He included 35 players, but even with such a large collection, there was no room for the Real Madrid right-back, with other names preferred.

While Federico Chiesa was included in Italy’s squad, former Red Alexander-Arnold was dealt a blow in his World Cup hopes. The full-back, who decided to leave Liverpool for Madrid on a free transfer last summer, has played just 26 minutes under Tuchel, with his sole appearance under the England boss coming in a 1-0 win over Andorra last June.

Despite the inflated group of 35 players, Tuchel overlooked Alexander-Arnold. He believes Newcastle United’s Tino Livramento, Tottenham Hotspur’s Djed Spence and Bayer Leverkusen’s former Liverpool defender Jarell Quansah offer a profile more aligned with what the German is looking for.

When asked if he has spoken to Alexander-Arnold, Tuchel replied: “Not yet.” He then said “I don’t know” when asked if Alexander-Arnold may feel his international career has come to an end.

The 27-year-old has earned 34 caps for England and was part of the Three Lions squad at the previous two World Cups. However, Alexander-Arnold’s role was limited in both Russia and Qatar; he made a single group stage appearance against Belgium in 2018 and played just 33 minutes against Wales in 2022.

Tuchel did hand Alexander-Arnold something of a lifeline, suggesting the door is not yet closed on his chance to get on the plane to North America. He added: “I know what Trent can give us.”

The next squad Thomas Tuchel picks will be for the FIFA World Cup(Image: Getty Images)

Given his lack of time on the field under Tuchel, Alexander-Arnold’s omission may come as no surprise. But he has featured in 13 La Liga games this season, tallying two assists.

However, Alexander-Arnold has failed to break into Tuchel’s team for the most part. Last year, the German highlighted Alexander-Arnold's impressive attacking ability but expressed serious concerns about his defending, which has been reflected in his team selection.

“I can see that sometimes he relies heavily on his offensive contributions, and gives not so much emphasis on the defensive discipline and effort,” Tuchel told reporters last May. “I think there is a point to it. This major impact that he had for Liverpool over so many years, if he wants to have this impact in the English national team, then he has to take the defensive part very, very seriously.

“Because when we are talking, especially, about qualifying football and then tournament football, the one defensive error, the one moment where you are not 100 percent awake, can be decisive, can be the moment where you pack your suitcases and go home.”

England face Uruguay on Friday, March 27, and Japan on Tuesday, March 31, in friendly contests.