Adored by Liverpool, distrusted by England: Alexander-Arnold can prove himself one of the world's best in Qatar

So, that’s that debate settled, then. Trent in.

The fact that Trent Alexander-Arnold’s inclusion in the England squad for the World Cup squad was ever even in doubt says plenty: about the Liverpool man’s up and down form this season, Gareth Southgate’s natural tendency towards caution, and, on a wider level, what is expected and demanded of full-backs in the modern game.

The likelihood is that had Reece James been fit, Alexander-Arnold would not have not made the cut.

The 24-year-old had almost resigned himself to that fact after the last international break when, in a 28-man squad, he was one of only seven outfield players not to play a single minute in Nations League games against Italy and Germany.

The other six – Tammy Abraham, Ivan Toney, James Ward-Prowse, Fikayo Tomori, Jarrod Bowen and Marc Guehi – all missed out when the World Cup party was named on Thursday, but James’ misfortune has ensured Alexander-Arnold will be on the plane to Qatar. 

Good karma, you could say, given the Reds star had to withdraw from Euro 2020 on the eve of the tournament due to injury.

This time, he will be hoping to capitalise on a bit of good luck and prove to the world that he really is one of the best in the business.

Qatar will be his second World Cup experience. He went to Russia in 2018 as a 19-year-old, but if the expectation was that he would nail down a place for his country thereafter, things have certainly not gone to plan.

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To date, he has only 17 caps, and only six of those have seen him complete 90 minutes. His only starts in the qualifying campaign for Qatar came against Albania, San Marino and Andorra.

The discussion around his role is a fascinating one, and speaks to something of a cultural split in English football, and the way in which footballers are both assessed and appreciated. Perhaps under-appreciated, in Alexander-Arnold’s case.

To many, he’s a genius, a playmaker disguised as a right-back, capable of delivering the kind of creativity most No.10s can only dream of.

He hits passes that make jaws drop – one right-to-left diagonal at Tottenham last weekend drew audible gasps from the home fans – whips in crosses that forwards can’t help but finish off, and has been one of the best and most consistent performers in a team which has been among the best in Europe for the past five years.

But to others, he’s a defensive liability, too weak and too lax to be relied on in a tournament like the World Cup. 

Gary Neville, who won 85 caps playing right-back for England, believes Southgate would not be able to “trust” Alexander-Arnold in the biggest of games.

“He does rash things,” Neville said after Liverpool’s win at Tottenham. “I can’t see how Gareth would go into a knockout game of a World Cup playing Trent.”

The former Manchester United captain is probably right in that regard, although in reality that says more about Southgate’s approach than it does Alexander-Arnold’s ability.

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Jurgen Klopp, after all, has generally found a way to harness his talents without compromising the structure and solidity of his team.

Liverpool have had the best or joint-best defensive record in three of the last four campaigns, and even despite their struggles this season, they have only conceded four goals more than Manchester City so far.

There is no question that Alexander-Arnold, like Virgil van Dijk, like Fabinho, like Jordan Henderson and like Andy Robertson, has been below his top level this term, and that there have been performances which will have coloured Southgate’s thinking heading into the World Cup, or at least confirmed his long-held suspicions.

His struggles against Gabriel Martinelli, Anthony Elanga and Leandro Trossard were clear, and he was absent for Liverpool’s best defensive display of the campaign, the win over City last month.

But it is also clear that much of the debate around him, and his apparent deficiencies, seems to miss the point, that he plays to instruction and to the demands of his manager.

He is not ‘out of position’ or ‘failing to track back’, he is exactly where Klopp asks him to be, defending on the front foot and ready to get his side moving the second they are in possession of the ball.

It is easy to praise James Milner, for example, for digging in and battling hard against Phil Foden, but Alexander-Arnold has never been asked to play that way, and Liverpool would be a far lesser side if he was.

His predecessor at Anfield, Nathaniel Clyne, was solid and disciplined, but ask Reds fans if they’d prefer that to what Alexander-Arnold brings, and, well, you know the answer.

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England should, in theory, be able to find a spot in their team for a player of such unique talents, one who has won every club trophy possible in the past three-and-a-half years, who was shortlisted for the Ballon d’Or this year and who has been selected in the PFA Team of the Year in three of the last four seasons.

A manager like Klopp or Pep Guardiola most definitely would, because the pros of Alexander-Arnold far outweigh the cons, especially when you have a striker like Harry Kane, who thrives on service into the penalty area, the extra protection of a three-man defence and midfielders like Henderson, Declan Rice and Kalvin Phillips, who rely on discipline and energy as opposed to creative inspiration.

The likelihood is that Alexander-Arnold will start the World Cup on the sidelines – and in fairness, Kieran Trippier’s form for Newcastle this season has been superb – but if England are to do what they haven’t done since 1966, they are going to need some moments of individual inspiration to go along with the togetherness and stubbornness that have been their calling cards under Southgate.

And there are few more capable of providing them than Liverpool’s No.66.

The World Cup is for the world’s best, and it would be a crime if Alexander-Arnold did not get the chance to show that he is very much in that company.