Trent Alexander-Arnold's latest Liverpool goal-scoring display was not enough to seduce Alan Shearer, as debate continues over his England World Cup hopes.
The right-back was selected by Gareth Southgate for the last round of international fixtures, but failed to get on the pitch and was left out of the squad for the second game with Germany. It has sparked fresh speculation over whether or not he will be picked for the World Cup in Qatar.
But he remains a firm favourite of Jurgen Klopp, the 23-year-old having been a star performer for the German during his rapid rise at Anfield. His influence in the final third has seen him come in for huge praise whilst his quality from set pieces was again on show as Liverpool saw off Rangers in the Champions League.
That strike led to no shortage of praise on Tuesday night, with many comments, unsurprisingly, aimed at England boss Southgate and his use of the Liverpool ace.
But Premier League record goalscorer and ex-England captain Shearer was having none of it. He replied to one tweet which stated Alexander-Arnold's free-kick was "the quality that Gareth Southgate may leave behind" by slapping it down with the declaration: "But Trippier can do that also".
Trippier, who scored an iconic free-kick in the World Cup semi-final four years ago, is one of several individuals pushing for involvement in an immensely competitive area of the squad.
He, Alexander-Arnold, Kyle Walker and Reece James are all in the frame - and could all be selected for Southgate's World Cup squad. The England boss refused to dash the Liverpool right-back's chances of heading to Qatar despite overlooking him for the recent games.
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Southgate said: “At the moment, Keiran Trippier is playing exceptionally well and Reece James has been one of the outstanding players in the league at the start of the season. But we know Trent is a very, very good footballer and that’s why we’ve picked him in the squad.”
Alexander-Arnold has long been praised for his attacking influence, but it is his struggles defensively that have seen him criticised and could be behind his latest England snub. Gary Neville said on Sky Sports: "I think Trent has to work on his defending. I said it a few years ago that there was a lack of seriousness in his defending and there was a lack of alertness. At some point in his career, it will hold him back."
Klopp has issued a strong defence of his player in the wake of his England misfortune and maintains that he is more than capable of defending, instead highlight the team's flaws. The German said: "He played a good game, defensively especially, a wonderful goal. How I said, we set it up differently. We cannot talk about it every week, but Trent has no defensive problem; we had a defensive problem."
