You'd be forgiven for thinking Harry Maguire had enjoyed an impressive start to the new Premier League season.
Despite being frozen out by new Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag following two disastrous performances against Brighton and Brentford in the opening two matches of the campaign, Gareth Southgate has continued to stick by the 29-year-old by selecting him to start in recent UEFA Nations League matches versus Italy and Germany.
At fault for both of Germany's first two goals against England yesterday evening, Maguire's lack of action at club level was clear to see after appearing miles off the pace. Indeed, the defender was forced to apologise on social media for his "mistakes" against Germany.
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And making his selection all the stranger was the fact Fikayo Tomori, who played a key role in AC Milan winning Serie A last season could not even make the substitutes' bench while Ben White, top of the league with Arsenal, was simply sat at home.
Trent Alexander-Arnold was also overlooked by the England manager, not for the first time in his career. In Southgate's defence, however, it is no secret the Liverpool right-back has not hit the performance levels reached in previous years and has struggled for the Reds in recent weeks. That there appears to be a different set of rules for one player to the next is where the issue lies.
Speaking to the Daily Telegraph in 2017, the Three Lions' boss said: "I never pick on reputation - form has to come into it. You have to look at the opposition and the type of game you're expecting and select the players best suited to that." Five years down the line, it appears this approach to team selection has gone out of the window.
Whenever questioned on his reasoning for his reluctance to hand more opportunities to Alexander-Arnold, the same answer tends to follow. As opposed to listing what the Reds' right-back must do in order to force his way into the team, Southgate instead chooses to draw attention to the other options at his disposal.
"We've got four right-backs who are super quality," he said ahead of last night's match at Wembley. "At the moment, Kieran Trippier is playing exceptionally well and Reece James has been one of the outstanding players in the Premier 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."
Attention soon shifted back to Maguire following the full-time whistle after a night to forget at Wembley, though the England manager struck a defiant tone when challenged on the inclusion of the out-of-form centre-back by insisting it was the time to 'back our best and most experienced players'.
Gary Neville has since quashed the idea that the 52-year-old shows favouritism to a select few on the international stage, stating : "I don't know any England manager over the last 30 years that has picked more on form than Gareth Southgate, irrespective of what club you come from. He has been fair and equal all the way through. He supports Harry Maguire quite simply because he is one of the best two or three centre-backs in the country."
Offering an alternative view, Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher believes the position of United's club captain may well have become untenable after another below-par display. "Criticism of his performance against Germany is valid and justified and Southgate must assess if Maguire is mentally right for a World Cup, able to show he can put all the issues behind him. In the past, it is something Maguire has struggled with. How can the manager make such a big call before the opening game against Iran unless Maguire is playing for his club?" Questioned the former Red.
Whether or not Alexander-Arnold is able to issue a reminder of his quality to Southgate in the coming weeks ahead of the World Cup remains to be seen, though there's every chance even the most emphatic of responses may still not be enough to convince the England manager.
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