England boss Thomas Tuchel sends ruthless 'individual' message to Trent Alexander-Arnold after leaving Real Madrid-bound defender out of back-to-back starting XIs

Alexander-Arnold played just 26 minutes in the last international break as England beat Andorra and lost to Senegal. Now, while Tuchel has explained that he was left out of the starting XI partly due to the ongoing stress of his move to Real Madrid, he has warned that the right-back must raise his level and consistently bring something "unique" to the team if he wants to be selected on a regular basis.

Alexander-Arnold has somewhat struggled to nail down a consistent England place, and has only won 34 caps since making his debut in 2018. He has represented the Three Lions at three major tournaments - the 2018 and 2022 World Cups and Euro 2024, having missed out on Euro 2020 through injury - but was limited to just six appearances across them, and he was an unused substitute in the Euro 2024 final against Spain.

Tuchel told talkSPORT, when asked if he could drop the right-back: "That would be a hard choice, then it depends completely on us. If we have a similar structure and similar players, because we desperately want to have him in the team. He gives us something unique and can make connections with teammates and boost chemistry, then we will try to use him.

"If he gives us something unique, then we will make sure that he has his place - But that applies to any player. If not, then we will always value the team more than individual quality.

"In the end, at international level, it's so important that we arrive with the right team and that everyone in the team knows before, first that we have to quality. [And] that everyone knows their role, why he is there, and what they have to give to the group and from there we go."

England have a break before their next fixtures, against Andorra and Serbia, in September. Alexander-Arnold will play for Real Madrid in the Club World Cup in the meantime.