TAA reveals he's working on new England midfield role with Southgate for a year

Trent Alexander-Arnold has opened up on his new midfield role for England after their victory over Serbia and insisted it has been a long time in the making.

The Three Lions edged out Dragan Stojkovic's side 1-0 in their first game of Euro 2024 in Gelsenkirchen, with Jude Bellingham scoring the decisive goal after just 13 minutes.

Gareth Southgate deployed Alexander-Arnold in centre midfield alongside Declan Rice for the clash, with this an idea the England boss has been working on in recent times.

The Reds star - who usually plays at right back - initially impressed and looked bright alongside several of his team-mates in the first half.

However, Alexander-Arnold faded as the game went on and was exposed on a few occasions, while he was also guilty of surrendering possession in dangerous areas.

He was ultimately replaced by Conor Gallagher in the 69th minute as England aimed to shore up the midfield and hold onto their lead.

And, speaking post-match, the Liverpool star reflected on his new role and opened up on his development from defence into midfield for the Three Lions.

'It was good and I thoroughly enjoyed it,' he told ITV Sport. 'I felt prepared through the conversations and the work we've done throughout the week.

'It may seem brand new (to many), but me, the manager and Steve Holland, we've been working very hard on this role for the past year so a lot of preparation has gone into it.

'A lot of information, learning and a lot of analysing has gone into it. So they gave me a role to do today and hopefully they feel like I executed it and helped to contribute to the win and a clean sheet.'

Alexander-Arnold won his 26th England cap on Sunday, and although he played in central midfield against Andorra in a World Cup qualifier back in 2021, the Liverpool star had generally featured at right back during his international career.

However, last June Southgate began to trial him in midfield in Euro 2024 qualifiers against Malta and North Macedonia and this is something the England boss has been building on ever since.

Meanwhile, reflecting on the solid if unspectacular victory against Serbia, Alexander-Arnold claimed all that mattered was the three points.

'The thing is tournament football is all about winning, especially the first game,' he added.

'It makes it a lot easier to get out of the group if you get that first win so that was our intention.

'We knew it was going to be a difficult game, whether people call it ugly or not, I'm not quite sure, but we call it a win.'