Liverpool ace Trent Alexander-Arnold has come under plenty of fire for his displays for England at Euro 2024.
Having played at right-back for the majority of his career, the 25-year-old has been entrusted with a midfield role in Germany.
He has started both of the nation’s matches at the tournament so far, playing key roles in the 1-0 win over Serbia and 1-1 draw with Denmark.
It remains to be seen what Gareth Southgate will do with the player for the final Group C match against Slovenia, with Gary Neville suggesting a formation change may be the answer.
His fellow pundit Chris Sutton meanwhile believes the midfield experiment with the Liverpool star simply hasn’t worked.
Adam Wharton heaps praise on Trent Alexander-Arnold for England
Southgate has turned to Chelsea ace Conor Gallagher as a replacement for Alexander-Arnold on two occasions, opting to leave out young stars Kobbie Mainoo and Adam Wharton entirely.
The Crystal Palace player has now weighed in on the debate surrounding his Three Lions teammate, praising the Anfield man ahead of their final group game.
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“I didn’t think Trent had that bad a game,” said Wharton, as per the print edition of the Mirror [page 78, 23 June]. “I wouldn’t say that he struggled [v Serbia and Denmark].
“Yes, he has not played there a million times, we all know that, but you can see the quality he has when we’re in possession, switching the ball, always looking forward.”
Will the Liverpool star be dropped by Gareth Southgate?
Alexander-Arnold clearly has quality in abundance, but has often struggled with the defensive side of his game.
His creativity is among the very best of what England has to offer, with that characteristic undoubtedly one of the main reasons why he is playing out of position.
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But perhaps it would be more sensible for Southgate to go with a more traditional midfielder such as Gallagher, or indeed one of the promising young players in Mainoo or Wharton.
They are clearly in the squad for a reason, but thus far the man in the dugout has largely kept things the same regarding his side and indeed tactics.
Alexander-Arnold could, therefore, be the unlucky one if Southgate is to switch things up for the match with Slovenia.
His club manager Arne Slot will undoubtedly be paying close attention to the entire affair, with the Dutchman needing to make a decision on where to play the England star for Liverpool next season.