Phil Jagielka has suggested that Trent Alexander-Arnold should be a part of Gareth Southgate’s England squad for the impending Qatar World Cup after claiming the Liverpool star offers ‘something special’.
The 23-year-old was selected by the Three Lions boss for the two clashes with Italy and Germany recently but didn’t play a single minute.
There has been a lot of debate surrounding Alexander-Arnold’s position with the national team at the moment with the likes of Kyle Walker, Kieran Trippier and Reece James all being preferred to the Liverpool Academy graduate – former Everton defender Jagielka has now weighed in on the situation.
“For me, he brings something that maybe no one else, not only in his position but in the squad brings,” he told Sky Sports (via The Kop Times).
“I think in a tournament there are times when you’re going to win games easily and times when you’re going to be struggling to create things, he [Trent] gives you that something special.”
Alexander-Arnold may not be top of the list when it comes to his defensive ability, but there’s no doubting that the scouser is one of England’s most creative players.
The way in which he has reinvented the full back position in recent seasons for Liverpool is remarkable and when he’s on the pitch you know that he’s going to create opportunities for the attackers in front of him.
Journalists have ripped into Southgate for his treatment of our No. 66 recently and rightly so.
The England boss was asked about the Liverpool full back recently, but after briefly praising Alexander-Arnold, he quickly moved on and began discussing his other right back options – it appears that the 52-year-old isn’t the biggest fan of the Reds star.
He has admitted that he believes Trippier’s all round game is ‘ahead’ of Trents, something which talksPORT pundit Gabriel Agbonlahor mocked, before then going onto surprisingly claim that he thinks James and Walker are better than Alexander-Arnold.
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We’re not denying that the Liverpool-born defender’s start to the season hasn’t been great, but a dip in form doesn’t make him a bad player.
We understand that rotation amongst squads is vital and that all players have their own strengths and weaknesses, but when a generational talent like Alexander-Arnold isn’t being selected, it’s of course going to raise a few eyebrows.
If Southgate feels like he can’t select Trent because of his club performances then that is absolutely understandable, but to then start the likes of Harry Maguire who has also been struggling for his respective club so far this term is rather bemusing.