Will Trent Alexander-Arnold play for England under Thomas Tuchel? Blunt assessment delivered by former Liverpool & Three Lions defender

Sir Gareth Southgate found a place for Alexander-Arnold in his Euro 2024 plans, with the buccaneering full-back gracing four matches at that tournament - with a nerveless penalty being successfully converted in a quarter-final shootout with Switzerland.

A man that won Premier League and Champions League titles with Liverpool, before heading to Spain in 2025, has figured just once for his country since then. Tuchel did hand him an outing off the bench in a World Cup qualifier with Andorra in June 2025. He has been wandering around in the international wilderness since then.

Having made his senior bow in 2018, on the back of an impressive breakthrough at Anfield, Alexander-Arnold would expect to have more than 34 caps to his name by now. He has, however, been overlooked on a regular basis - with favour being lost as quickly as it has been earned.

Competition in the right-back department has been fierce down the years - with the likes of Kyle Walker and Kieran Trippier dominating in that position - while Reece James, Tino Livramento, Djed Spence and Ben White occupy that depth chart at present, with Ezri Konsa able to drift across from centre-half if required.

Given that consistency has been an issue across his time in Madrid, Alexander-Arnold may find it difficult to force his way back to the front of the queue. That is a somewhat surprising situation given the ability that he possesses and value that he could offer to the collective cause.

Quizzed on whether a recall will be earned during Tuchel’s tenure, two-cap left-back Warnock - who was speaking in association with Gambler Media - told GOAL: “You'd have to say no at the moment, which I just find incredible.

“Because every time I watch him - he's got his defensive frailties, we all know that, but what he gives you going forward, if you're at centre-half alongside him, you're almost saying to him, ‘don't worry, I'll cover you, I'll do two jobs, I'm happy to do that’.

“I used to watch Liverpool so often with Fabinho or [Jordan] Henderson covering him on the right-hand side, because they knew the difference he could make going forward in the team. Even if you look at his appearances for Real Madrid this season, his passing range when he's come on to the pitch, they know they can make runs that no-one else can find them. It's a passing range like no other.

“I'm really disappointed for him. I feel sorry for him, because ultimately it's a game of opinions. When you're at that level, the one man at the top who stops you getting called into a squad, it's all about his opinion and how he sees things.

“Could we have done with him at the World Cup? Could he have made a difference? Potentially. But that was a big decision by Thomas Tuchel and he's going to live by that. We'll never know the outcome of it, because they almost got to the final. It's a difficult one for Trent, because he's almost in that hybrid position of a right-back and a midfielder.”

That versatility could work in Alexander-Arnold’s favour, but he is not alone when it comes to stepping out from the back and into the engine room. Chelsea captain James can do the same off the right, while Myles Lewis-Skelly and Nico O’Reilly have been doing similar at Arsenal and Manchester City respectively after filling left-back berths.

Tuchel will not ignore club form when piecing together future squads, meaning that the selection door should remain open to everybody at his disposal. England will be back in action across late-September/early-October when opening their latest UEFA Nations League campaign against Spain, Czechia and Croatia.