'Makes no sense!' - Gary Lineker suggests Thomas Tuchel has 'personal' issue with Trent Alexander-Arnold after 'insulting' England squad snub

Tuchel sparked significant debate following his selection for the March international break. Despite naming an expansive 35-man squad, the German tactician opted to leave out Real Madrid defender Alexander-Arnold. The decision has polarized fans and pundits alike. For Lineker, the omission of such a creative force defies logic and suggests a deeper rift between the manager and the player.

Speaking on The Rest is Football podcast, Lineker expressed his disbelief that a player of Alexander-Arnold's technical ceiling could be left at home. 

"You obviously know I’m a big admirer of Trent," Lineker said. "I think there’s something personal, because football-wise, there’s no argument. I can’t see how he can not be in that squad because he has to improve your chances, even if it’s from the bench.

"So I suspect there’s something that Tuchel does not like about Trent Alexander-Arnold, I’d just be guessing in terms of what it might be, whether it’s his attitude or he thinks he’s not brilliant defensively. There has to be something in that because it makes absolutely no sense. You’ve got players playing in his position, with all due respect, that are not in the same league as him, certainly with the ball at his feet."

The debate has been further fueled by the recall of Ben White, who replaced the injured Jarell Quansah. White had been absent from the national team since 2022, but Lineker believes Tuchel's decision to recall him - and play him against Uruguay - has highlighted Alexander-Arnold's diminished role.

"As you saw in these kind of games, you need someone with a bit of magic to unlock things, and he [Trent] will provide you that," Lineker added. "So it doesn’t make sense to me. I don’t know whether it’s his attitude or what it is. I don’t know. But I find it quite insulting looking at the players he’s brought in. We talk about the Ben White situation, for example, and he’s not wanted to play for England before. Now I wouldn’t judge him on that because we don’t really know what’s happened in the camp before and his reasons for not playing. That’s all fine but I can’t see how he can still be ahead of Trent, I think that’s really insulting to a seriously top full-back. That’s my view."

With Alexander-Arnold not included in Tuchel's latest squad, his hopes of playing at the World Cup appear slim. The Three Lions are currently preparing to face Japan in a friendly. England are in Group L of this summer's global tournament alongside Croatia, Ghana, and Panama.