Gary Neville has stated that Trent Alexander Arnold could find himself out of the England World Cup squad due to his defensive rashness.
The Liverpool star produced a generally decent display on Sunday evening against Tottenham Hotspur but could have easily cost his side after nearly giving away a penalty by pushing Ryan Sessegnon in the back.
Luckily for Alexander Arnold, referee Andrew Madley deemed the challenge not strong enough to warrant a spot-kick. A wonderfully taken brace in the first half by Mohamed Salah was enough to secure a vital 2-1 win for Jurgen Klopp’s side.
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Despite Liverpool’s win, all eyes were on Alexander Arnold’s defending as there were moments where the 24-year-old looked unconvincing.
With the World Cup just around the corner, the debate on whether Alexander Arnold should be included in Gareth Southgate’s squad continues. There is no doubting the Liverpool full-back’s attacking power as his passing and creative play are second to none, however, his ability to defend remains a real voice for concern.
Former Manchester United defender Neville revealed why he feels Alexander Arnold could miss out.
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He said on Sky Sports: “His brilliance going forward is out of this world but we are talking about knock-out football and it will come down to a moment.
“I can't see how Gareth Southgate would go into a knockout game of a World Cup playing Trent. I want him to be the greatest right-back of all time because he has that ability but at times today, he looks like he could cost Liverpool dearly.”
Neville added: “He does rash things and I think he is giving away a penalty in a World Cup. I don’t think Gareth will trust him in a knockout game and he already has four brilliant right-backs.”
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Fellow Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp said: “The flip side is you have a player who can produce genius. Gareth has done a great job but I don’t see how we can afford to not take a player who has that brilliance.
“We have been obsessed with right backs, we took 20 to the Euros! We don’t need them all, we need to see who can win you a game. I get Trent isn’t in great form, there were times today where he was in the tumble dryer.”
Southgate is set to announce his 26-man squad on Thursday.
Featured Image Credit: Alamy/Twitter@SkySportsPLTopics: England, Football World Cup, Gareth Southgate, Liverpool, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Gary Neville
