Trent Alexander-Arnold hits new low after England World Cup change | Football | Sport
Trent Alexander-Arnold has only featured once for England under Thomas Tuchel (Image: Urbanandsport/NurPhoto/Shutterstock)
Thomas Tuchel has snubbed Trent Alexander-Arnold once more, naming Trevoh Chalobah as the replacement for injured England full-back Tino Livramento. Livramento has sustained a calf injury that will rule him out of England’s fixtures in the USA, Mexico and Canada.
A statement from the England team read: “Trevoh Chalobah has been called into England’s 26-player squad at FIFA World Cup 2026 after injury sadly forced the withdrawal of Tino Livramento.
“Arrangements are now being made for the Chelsea defender to make the journey to the team’s basecamp in Kansas City, while the rest of the squad will head to Dallas, Texas for the Three Lions’ opening group fixture against Croatia on Wednesday.
“FIFA regulations allow participating teams to replace an outfield player up to 24 hours before their opening fixture.
“Newcastle United defender Livramento picked up a calf injury in training on Sunday afternoon. A subsequent scan and medical assessment on Monday unfortunately confirmed he could play no further part in England’s tournament.”
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Livramento was one of several full-backs included in the original squad, alongside Reece James, Djed Spence, Jarell Quansah and Nico O’Reilly. Alexander-Arnold’s omission from the initial squad raised plenty of eyebrows across the country, and being overlooked yet again by Tuchel represents a fresh blow to the Real Madrid man, who came through the ranks at Liverpool. Alexander-Arnold enjoyed considerable success at Anfield, yet on the international stage he has frequently found himself on the periphery. He was consistently ranked behind Kyle Walker and Kieran Trippier in the pecking order and was only deployed in midfield at Euro 2024.
Despite both of those aforementioned right-backs having since retired from international football, Alexander-Arnold’s 26-minute cameo against Andorra remains the only playing time he has received under Tuchel.
His turbulent spell in Madrid, blighted by injuries and a lack of regular game time, has done little to strengthen his case in the German’s eyes. Tuchel harbours concerns over the 27-year-old’s defensive capabilities, something he made plain in one of his earliest press conferences as Three Lions boss.
In May last year, he said: “I can see that sometimes he relies heavily on his offensive contributions, and gives not so much emphasis on the defensive discipline and effort.
Alexander-Arnold has struggled at Real Madrid (Image: NurPhoto, NurPhoto via Getty Images)
“This major impact that he had for Liverpool over so many years, if he wants to have this impact in the English national team, then he has to take the defensive part very seriously.
“Because when we are talking, especially, about qualifying football and then tournament football, the one defensive error, the one moment where you are not 100% awake, can be decisive, can be the moment where you pack your suitcases and go home.
“We will put this all into consideration, but now is the moment to get to know him. I know him. I played against him. I had phone calls with him.
“But now is the moment to feel him for nine or 10 days, feel him around the squad, see what he can do, what he can bring, and then from there we go.”
Back in March, Alexander-Arnold appeared to take a swipe at the England manager with a cryptic Instagram post, sharing a photograph of himself in action against Atletico Madrid, accompanied by the caption: “Madrid. Y nada mas” — which translates as “Madrid, nothing else”.
