Glen Johnson believes Trent Alexander-Arnold must pick himself up and not sulk if he wants to get back in the England team.
The Liverpool right-back was dropped from the matchday squad for Monday’s draw against Germany just days after watching his country lose to Italy from the bench. England manager Gareth Southgate recently rubbed salt in the wound by claiming one of his main rivals, Kieran Trippier, is a more well-rounded player.
Since Alexander-Arnold’s England debut in 2018, the 23-year-old has only won 17 caps and has often been behind the likes of Reece James and Kyle Walker in the pecking order. Such adversity in fighting for a place has been rare for the full-back in his early career, having been a mainstay under Jurgen Klopp since making his 2016 debut.
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But former Liverpool defender Johnson has urged Alexander-Arnold to pick himself up and work on his domestic form if he wants to be in the squad for the World Cup later this year.
“I can only imagine [dropping Alexander-Arnold] wasn't [Southgate’s] intention,” Johnson told SafeBettingSites. “If you've got no intention of playing anyone, then there's no point in them being in the squad. I can only imagine he picked the squad with an open mind and then picked the team from how people were performing during training.
“It's a kick in the backside, one moment he's starting for Liverpool every week but not for England every week. Of course there's kickbacks, but it's how good players respond. Every player has had that moment whether they've been dropped for the club or dropped for the national side, it's how you bounce back.
“It's probably about who we're playing against and how he wants the team to play. Reece James is the better all-round player in that position. But Trent's got the amazing delivery and free-kick ability. I don't think it's anything that he doesn't like, it's just he prefers a more all-round solid player. Trent is great going forward, but they're both attributes that can be used against different teams.
“If he sulks and feels sorry for himself, then it's only going to get worse. If he realises that he's got a lot of work to do to find his form, then I'm sure he'll be starting for England again very soon.”
Alexander-Arnold can only impress the England boss with an improvement in domestic form, with no more international fixtures before the 26-man squad is announced in late October.
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