Gareth Southgate explains why Liverpool superstar Trent Alexander-Arnold was dropped form the England squad against Germany
Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold was left out of the England squad that faced Germany in the UEFA Nations League on Monday, September 26.
Following the game, which finished 3-3, Three Lions manager Gareth Southgate explained the reason behind the right-back's omission.
Trent Alexander-Arnold and Fikayo Tomori have both been left out of England’s squad for the Germany game.
Neither one will have played a single minute during this international break. https://t.co/vjwBamR1cK
Commenting on his latest omission [versus Germany], Gareth Southgate hinted that the Liverpool right-back lost in the competition to Reece James and Kyle Walker, who are in better form at the moment.
"I mean, we’ve got a big squad with us and we’ve got four right-backs who are super quality." the England manager told Channel 4, as quoted by Metro.
"At the moment Kieran Trippier is playing exceptionally well and Reece James has been one of the outstanding players in the Premier League at the start of the season.
"But Trent is a very, very good footballer and that’s why we picked him in the [initial] squad."
This comes as yet another snub for Alexander-Arnold. The Liverpool defender was an unused substitute for England during their 1-0 defeat to Italy last week and also didn't make it to the squad during the 4-0 loss to Hungary back in June.
The England manager also explained the other decisions he made in the starting line-up versus Germany. John Stones started as the right centre-back while Luke Shaw replaced Bukayo Saka at left wing-back.
"We’ve got some good options there [at left-back]," he said. "Luke came into the game well the other night and it is a good opportunity for him tonight. He is a super player.
"We thought [Eric Dier] coming back into the side did really well and we wanted to keep that momentum going. He hasn’t been with us for a while.
🗣️ "You have to be honest at the moment, he's not in particularly great form"
Former England defender Danny Mills says he is not surprised by Trent Alexander-Arnold's omission from the England squad to face Germany ❌
https://t.co/RpvW3ytWWd
"John [Stones] is fresh but Kyle [Walker] has been out for a while so we felt it made sense to freshen that up tonight.
"We wanted to move the bench around a bit tonight. We took a big group, which has been great on the training pitch," Southgate added.
Trent Alexander-Arnold's stats with Liverpool so far this season
The defender's performances have been questioned multiple times already this season. So far, the right-back has made nine appearances for the Reds across all competitions, recording two goals.
Liverpool are currently going through a rough patch, having won just two of their six Premier League games since the campaign kicked off. Jurgen Klopp will be hoping that his side bounce back after the international break.