Trent Alexander-Arnold would make his first appearance at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar when he came on as a 57th minute substitute in England’s 3-0 victory over Wales.
Yet while he would play a part in the Three Lions’ third goal, playing the pass to fellow substitute Kalvin Phillips, who set up Marcus Rashford’s second goal, Gareth Southgate’s side were already winning 2-0 at the time of his introduction and essentially assured of their place in the knockout stages.
Plenty has been said of Southgate’s use of Alexander-Arnold during his stint as England manager and whether he even trusts him, with it clear at least that he is not his favoured choice. The Three Lions boss has even admitted in the past that he considers fellow right-backs Kyle Walker, Kieran Trippier and Reece James to be better all-round players than the Liverpool right-back.
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They are certainly ahead of him in the England pecking order as a result, with it unclear whether the 24-year-old would have even been called up for Qatar had James not been ruled out through injury.
It’s true that Alexander-Arnold hasn’t enjoyed his best form this season, but he has at least played consistently for Liverpool. Making 20 appearances during the first half of the season, only two of his outings came from the bench.
He has certainly played more this season than Southgate's starting centre-back Harry Maguire and John Stones, with the Manchester United captain making nine appearances, with only four of them coming in the Premier League. Granted, he would miss seven games with a hamstring injury, but he has still started only five times after falling out of favour under new Red Devils boss Erik ten Hag, with plenty said about his loss of form over the past 18 months.
As for Stones, he has made 11 appearances so far this season, yet he hasn't played at centre-back since the start of September with Pep Guardiola often utilising him at right-back instead.
For the record, Southgate’s faith in Maguire has so far been justified with him one of England’s most impressive performers during the Euro 2020 group stages. Yet his involvement is still a different stance to previous claims that England squads and starting XIs would only be picked on form and fitness, including players who were actually playing for their clubs rather than on names and reputations, as has been the case in the past.
Given the pair’s status as starting centre-backs is unchallenged, it’s clear it now is a case of one rule for one, a different one for others in Southgate’s ranks. Though perhaps selected lesser-used players has actually benefited the Three Lions given the Qatar World Cup’s mid-season timing.
But while such decisions were to be expected, a new level of Southgate hypocrisy became evident when he named his starting XI to face Wales and Alexander-Arnold was again left on the bench.
The England boss had opted to rotate his side for their final group game as he made four changes, with Jordan Henderson, Marcus Rashford and Phil Foden all coming into the starting XI, along with Walker who replaced Trippier at right-back.
Yet Walker’s appearance was his first for club and country since coming off early in a Manchester derby victory over Manchester United on October 2. Even then, that was the right-back's only appearance since September 3 after coming off injured in a 1-1 draw away at Aston Villa.
Walker had been a doubt for the World Cup after City confirmed he had undergone "successful" surgery on a groin injury after being forced off against United. As a result of the two lay-offs, he would miss 13 games and be afforded no warm-up games to prove his fitness prior to the tournament.
Yet that didn’t stop Southgate from starting the defender against Wales, at Alexander-Arnold’s expense. And his inclusion of Walker in his starting XI is in complete contrast to how Southgate utilised Liverpool captain Henderson at Euro 2020 following his own return from groin surgery.
The Reds skipper was forced off in his side’s Merseyside derby defeat to Everton on February 20, and would be forced to undergo surgery as a result. The lay-off would ensure he didn’t play for Jurgen Klopp ’s side again that season, though he did make a matchday squad appearance as an unused substitute on the final day of the season as Liverpool beat Crystal Palace.
Despite not getting onto the pitch, Klopp would pass the midfielder fit to compete at Euro 2020, if England wished to call him up.
"He will be fine," the German confirmed. "I don't know if he will be in the squad but he is fine, he trained the last two days with us, he is fine. He can return to training as normal. He will be one of the few players in the squad who are fresh which is good news."
Yet despite his return, Southgate would manage Henderson most carefully after his squad reported for duty. Left out of England’s first warm-up game against Austria, he was introduced as a half-time substitute in their second and final friendly against Romania.
Meanwhile, once the finals got underway, the midfielder was left on the bench for England's first two games against Croatia and Scotland, before making his first appearance of the tournament as a half-time substitute against Czech Republic.
He’d then be limited to substitute action throughout the knockout stages, featuring for just three minutes against Germany, 33 minutes against Ukraine, 25 minutes in the extra-time victory over Denmark and 46 minutes in the final penalty shoot-out loss to Italy.
Seeing as England reached the Euro 2020 final with Phillips and Declan Rice thriving in midfield, Southgate can’t be criticised too harshly for holding Henderson back in such a way. But his fellow midfielders were at least given a starting chance to make the place their own, which is more than Alexander-Arnold has ever been afforded.
“With a 26-man squad we were able to take a little bit more of a risk with Hendo,” Southgate would tell reporters during the Euros when explaining his inclusion and use of Henderson. “Those decisions were easier because the consequences of taking players that weren’t match-ready for the first couple of matches perhaps were less impactful than if you only had 23.
“We’ve got some decent cover in that area of the pitch but the drop-off from not taking Hendo was such that we preferred to give him the opportunity to make it. We’ve obviously had Jude (Bellingham) come through which has been a real bonus as well as Kalvin (Phillips).
“The decisions might have been different, we’ll never know what decisions we would have taken if we had 23 because that was not the scenario we were working with.”
“What he brings to the group on the training pitch, what he brings around the camp, his experience, the way he can speak to some of the other players in those quiet moments when you’re in around the hotel.
“He’s similar to Harry (Kane) in the way he trains and the way he approaches his work. It’s a great advantage for us to have him in with the team.”
Such thinking would have been present again when weighing up including Walker, having undergone groin surgery, the same as Henderson the year before. While the England boss would understandably be keen to get minutes in the Man City’s man unused legs at the World Cup, and wanted to rotate tired legs with one foot already in the knockout stages, the fact that he was thrown in to start after such a lay-off and it came at the expense of Alexander-Arnold, who was also yet to feature in Qatar, was indeed a new blow for the Liverpool defender.
Of course, Southgate’s limited use of him is nothing new and no longer even a surprise. It doesn’t matter which new A-list member of the Alexander-Arnold fan club urges the England boss to play the right-back more, with Brazil legend Cafu the latest star to make such claims, for whatever reason he stubbornly isn’t listening.
His mind is made up. Trippier, Walker and James are ‘better’ than Alexander-Arnold. Case closed, no matter who disagrees. Fair enough if it pays off on the international stage, all he can be judged on is results after all.
But that doesn’t make his treatment of the Liverpool man add up, with his latest starting XI omission all the more baffling when you take a step back and look at the overall context around it.
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