England manager Gareth Southgate has spoken out on his decision not to use Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold during this international break.
The Three Lions played fixtures against Italy and Germany, and Southgate was surprisingly reluctant to give opportunities to those outside of his regular plans.
Alexander-Arnold was one of them, and when asked about this decision, Southgate didn’t really give the most convincing explanation.
“I mean, we’ve got a big squad with us and we’ve got four right-backs who are super quality,” Southgate said.
“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.”