England have a big problem at right-back. Is it time to recall Trent Alexander-Arnold?

Trent Alexander-Arnold has been frozen out of England's plans Judit Cartiel/Getty Images Share articleBen White’s knee injury is not just bad news for Arsenal as they approach the sharp end of their season — it is serious for England, too. The right-back was likely to feature in coach Thomas Tuchel’s World Cup squad, which is being named on May 22, but the door has now creaked open for one of his rivals for that position — and specifically Trent Alexander-Arnold. Real Madrid’s former Liverpool defender has been largely overlooked by Tuchel since he took over in January 2025 and has not played for his country since the game against Andorra almost 12 months ago, in which he was a second-half substitute. Does White’s misfortune offer Alexander-Arnold a route back? Or should someone else be picked ahead of him? We asked a group of our writers for their views. They say if the ravens ever leave the Tower of London, the whole edifice will fall. I think if we ever stop talking about English right-backs, football in England will cease to exist. But luckily for us all, that won’t be any time soon. Now, who should Tuchel pick? He’s going to go with calm over chaos, which is why Alexander-Arnold might not make the cut at all. But if I was the England coach, I’d choose him. I’m so bored with the “he can’t defend” angle. What was the best game this season? It was the first leg of Paris Saint-Germain vs Bayern Munich in the Champions League semi-finals, which finished 5-4. When the attacking play is so good, nobody is really criticising the defenders. We are all too busy having a lovely time. So, ask not what Alexander-Arnold can do in defence for his country, but what he can do for it in attack? With a ball at his feet, he can find a pass that nobody else available to Tuchel can. One other player who might do well out of this summer is Jarell Quansah. The Bayer Leverkusen centre-back can play right-back if needed. Could he be the former Liverpool defender in Tuchel’s grandest plans? Trent Alexander-Arnold’s England career is a fascinating case study in why team sports can prefer the orthodox to the mavericks. You can’t have a sprinkle of the Real Madrid right-back in a side; you have to build the entire XI around his atypical skill set. Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool did it by having Jordan Henderson drop from the right side of midfield to cover the space when Alexander-Arnold pushed up from full-back. Ibrahima Konate and others shuffled over from right centre-back to help out, too. England, in theory, have players who can offer a decent facsimile of this (Elliot Anderson and Ezri Konsa, in particular), but Tuchel seems inclined to build his England squad around striker and captain Harry Kane over anyone else. The North American summer heat England and the rest will have to deal with at this World Cup means you want backups to your backups at full-back, a position where more running will be required than in other roles. If Reece James and Tino Livramento can’t prove their fitness ahead of the tournament, Tuchel may opt for full-backs playing on the wrong side, such as Lewis Hall, Djed Spence or Myles Lewis-Skelly over Alexander-Arnold. The fact we are just over a month away from England beginning their World Cup finals campaign and there are still question marks over whether Trent Alexander-Arnold should be in the 26-man squad is quite something. Alexander-Arnold should not even be in such a scenario. He is one of the best right-backs in European football, playing regularly for Real Madrid, and previously won major trophies with Liverpool. He would arguably be starting for most other national teams, so it feels odd that there is even a debate centred on whether he even qualifies to be a backup for Thomas Tuchel at this tournament. It is abundantly clear that the manager simply hasn’t been convinced by Alexander-Arnold but in the event of Ben White’s absence, overlooking one of England’s best players — again — would be the ultimate snub. To win this World Cup, England are going to need their best players — and Alexander-Arnold is one of them. Ben White was always going to be a backup option for Thomas Tuchel this summer. But his injury does raise more concerns about the manager’s choices in what is becoming a problem position. Reece James is clearly the number one in Tuchel’s eyes and when fit he is a superb right-back… but the ‘when fit’ element is doing some heavy lifting there! James is just returning from yet another hamstring injury, and there have to be serious concerns over whether his body can handle the demands of a major tournament. All Tuchel’s other options to support James are not ideal fits, whether they are centre-backs like Ezri Konsa, or Tino Livramento who has similar fitness concerns to James, or a midfielder such as James Garner dropping back, or even Djed Spence, a player currently battling away at Tottenham Hotspur to avoid relegation from the Premier League. There is one clear and obvious choice: Alexander-Arnold. But Tuchel appears to have made up his mind regarding him, as his exclusion from the 35-man squad named for the most recent international break in March demonstrated.  Tuchel may have to have a rethink on Alexander-Arnold. The alternative is to break out the cotton wool, bubble wrap and prayer mats for James. Liverpool have found out what life without Trent Alexander-Arnold looks like this season, and it is a whole lot less creative.  He is a unicorn of a footballer at right-back and possesses a selection of qualities that can be of huge benefit to any team he is in. The problem is having a setup around him that simultaneously platforms his strengths and covers for his weaknesses. While elements of his defensive flaws are overplayed, Tuchel has clearly felt that his negatives outweigh the positives. Reece James ticks the most boxes, but would need to be managed through a tournament that could involve eight matches in 33 days. Alternatives are dwindling, and playing centre-backs out of position does not interest me. Including Alexander-Arnold in the squad does not mean he has to start every game, either. Not doing so, though, denies you the option of a player whose vision and passing range can be the difference when you’re searching for a goal.  Strange to think England are suddenly short of right-backs, given the era of plenty at the position under previous manager Gareth Southgate. Like Southgate, it would be understandable if Thomas Tuchel has concerns about Trent Alexander-Arnold’s defensive solidity, but not selecting him in the World Cup squad — at the very least — would feel bizarre. Even if he is not a guaranteed starter, Alexander-Arnold is a potential game-changer, capable of unlocking stubborn group-stage opponents or providing a decisive moment in a tight knockout-phase match.  Ignoring his quality — especially when Tuchel has the buffer of being able to name 26 players for this expanded 48-team World Cup, up from the 23 of old — would be bizarre, but that is not to say he should be first-choice and Reece James, if fully fit, appears the obvious number one at right-back. I’d also have no qualms about Tuchel relying on Djed Spence. He may not be starting games for a relegation-threatened and dysfunctional Tottenham Hotspur but he is a solid one-on-one defender, technically sound, and has appeared unfazed in his handful of England appearances. Using James and/or Spence as first-choice right-backs in the tougher matches, when England are likely to spend significant periods on the back foot, and saving Alexander-Arnold for specific occasions appears a good way of getting the best from the former Liverpool star. Taking Trent Alexander-Arnold to the 2026 World Cup is simply a no-brainer, and that is coming from someone who has criticised his defensive ability. Right-back was previously a position of strength for England, but given Kyle Walker’s retirement, plus injury concerns over Reece James and Tino Livramento, it seems inconceivable that Real Madrid’s first-choice at the position will not be included in Thomas Tuchel’s 26-man squad. James would remain my first choice if and when fit, but Alexander-Arnold is simply too good not to have in the squad and with the amount of travel, the heat and recovery being at the forefront of England’s planning for their trip to North America, the two should be able to share the workload between them. He also scored that decisive penalty in the shootout against Switzerland in the 2024 European Championship quarter-finals; experience which could prove vital in the knockout rounds. Ben White’s injury is a blow for England, with the Arsenal right-back having a seamless on-field connection with club and country team-mate Bukayo Saka. Not that we would have seen it in World Cup action much if Reece James is fit for the tournament.  England’s right flank is usually the most promising attacking outlet through Saka. With White out and the possibility of James not being 100 per cent, Thomas Tuchel has previously played Ezri Konsa (who should be on the plane anyway as a centre-back option) as a right-back. Using Konsa in the position could weaken the team’s attacking threat, as he is much stronger in defensive areas.  The balance will depend on who plays at left-back. Likely starters Nico O’Reilly or Lewis Hall are both offensive options, comfortable in the opposition’s final third. This could limit the need for Trent Alexander-Arnold’s creativity. Djed Spence and Tino Livramento have the advantage over Alexander-Arnold in being able to play on both sides of the back four, but the Real Madrid man is a wildcard capable of special moments. He should be selected for his world-class passing and set pieces alone.  Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms