Trent Alexander-Arnold is on a mission to make himself undroppable after producing his best performance in an England shirt.
The Liverpool star has taken on the challenge of reinventing himself after having his defensive capabilities as a full-back called into question for both club and country.
Southgate took Jurgen Klopp’s theory on how to get the best out of the seriously-talented 24-year-old to another level by employing him as a central midfielder in the 4-0 Euro romp in Malta on Friday night.
Alexander-Arnold crowned an assured display with a stunning goal - and now accepts that the only way he will become a regular Three Lions starter is by continuing to do the business in his new role.
“I need to be causing the manager headaches,” said Alexander-Arnold, who was winning only his 19th cap and now hopes to continue his development against North Macedonia at Old Trafford.
“It is now about putting questions into the manager’s mind, knowing that I can play there and bring qualities to the game that other players can’t.
“It’s not my decision, but I think there is definitely potential there. It’s obviously a new role for me and one that is going to take some getting used to, which means I have to play more games.
“This was a good foundation for me. There were good signs, good moments and stuff I can learn from - and I am sure I will when we go back through the game.
“I think, especially in the first half, that I found myself in positions where I was able to impact the game and bring the quality I do. To be honest, I know the qualities that I’ve got and the things I need to work on.
“Whatever position I play in, that will always be there. I am someone who is a perfectionist, who wants to be as close to perfect as possible, so although this was a good game there are a lot of things I can work on and improve.”
Klopp employed Alexander-Arnold as an inverted full-back in the final weeks of the Premier League season. Southgate went one step further by giving Alexander-Arnold the No 10 shirt ahead of Phil Foden and in the absence of Jude Bellingham. It was only the third midfield start of a career that has stalled at full-back.
Alexander-Arnold isn’t afraid to face the reality that he has some defensive limitations - but he has a belief in his ability and a real desire to finally become a regular for his country.
He said: “For me, I want to make sure I am playing as many England games as possible - and that has always been the aim. I think this is a potential route we can go down that will help me get into the team. It is certainly an avenue that is clearly being explored and is something the manager wants to explore and I want to explore.
“It is one that is exciting for the future, and who knows? I thought my positioning was good, being able to pick up second balls, interceptions were there as well.
“It’s like I am blowing my trumpet…there were other aspects there other than just the goal. Overall my positioning was good and then it is just about finding that fluidity in there. With more games it will become more natural and I just find instinctively in the right positions rather than thinking about them a lot.
“It is early days, hopefully I get more minutes in the next fixture and be able to build on this foundation.”
Alexander-Arnold added: “There are a lot of interpretations of positions. It is very creative these days. Different teams play every position in different ways and there are different roles within those teams. I think it is very creative football at the minute and long may it continue.
“There were a lot of questions involved and I absorbed a lot of information about where I needed to be and how I needed to play the game. It’s also about me feeling natural, feeling like it is something I’ve always done and something I could do regularly.”
