England boss Gareth Southgate has indicated that Newcastle United full-back Kieran Trippier is ahead of Trent Alexander-Arnold in the pecking order. The Liverpool defender was left out of the squad entirely for England’s 3-3 draw against Germany on Monday, after serving as an unused substitute in Friday’s defeat in Italy.
His omission from the England set-up has been a major topic of discussion during Southgate’s six-year reign. While he has posted 235 appearances for Liverpool, winning the Premier League and UEFA Champions League in the process, the 23-year-old has been capped just 17 times for the Three Lions.
Alexander-Arnold was ruled out of Euro 2020 due to injury but has featured in just four of England’s last 15 internationals since. If this isn't enough to suggest that Alexander-Arnold has been banished to the shadows by Southgate then the national manager’s post-match comments offered a clearer picture of the situation.
“Against Germany we selected the squad because of the way we went with the team so we needed [Ben] Chilwell on the bench and we had Kieran who, at the moment, I feel his all round game is ahead,” Southgate told the media via The Mail.
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While Trippier has also only played four times for England since Euro 2020, his ability to play at left-back has increased his chances of being included in the squad for the 2022 World Cup. He started in England’s back-to-back draws against Italy and Germany in June but failed to feature in the latest round of internationals.
Nonetheless, Trippier could still be required by Southgate, especially with the uncertainty surrounding the left-back or left wing back slot. Luke Shaw has seemingly been replaced by Tyrell Malacia as Manchester United’s primary left-back, while Ben Chilwell has been plagued by injuries at Chelsea.
Southgate unsuccessfully deployed Bukayo Saka at left wing back against Italy on Friday, who looks far more accustomed on the right wing, where he has flourished for Arsenal.
Trippier, meanwhile, has been in impressive form in the Premier League this season. He has started in each of Newcastle’s opening seven league games and has captained the Magpies in the absence of Jamaal Lascelles.
Chelsea right-back Reece James is in pole position to start England’s World Cup opener against Iran in opener after starting in both games against Italy and Germany respectively. However, Trippier appears to be ahead of Alexander-Arnold with less than two months until the World Cup finals in Qatar.
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