Keane hints at off-pitch dispute between Trent Alexander-Arnold and Tuchel

Roy Keane has weighed in on the debate over whether Trent Alexander-Arnold should have been included in Thomas Tuchel's 35-man England squad by suggesting that there might be factors beyond the Real Madrid star's form keeping him out ahead of this summer's World Cup.

The former Liverpool star was the most high-profile omission amongst Tuchel's far-ranging call-ups, with right backs including Reece James, Tino Livramento, Jarrell Quansah, and Djed Spence considered ahead of him.

Alexander-Arnold then missed a second opportunity for inclusion following a number of injuries, with Ben White welcomed back into the England fold for the first time in nearly four years.

Although Tuchel has been outspoken about his concerns over Alexander-Arnold's defensive skills, former Manchester United captain Keane hinted at the possibility of greater discord away from the pitch.

'The strange thing is when people say about Trent and his defensive stuff, but he must look at the other defenders ahead of him and go: 'Well they're not great defensively either!'' Keane queried on The Overlap's Stick To Football podcast.

'It's not as if Tuchel is going, that's going to be rock solid at the back, some of the lads ahead of him, they're not even good defenders. There's something going on.

'We keep talking about the England squad and saying, well they can play in different roles. You want lads who are really good, don't be a jack of all trades.

'Ben White's only played seven league games for Arsenal. Seven!

'You look at that squad and analyse it, defensively that England squad is not good, defensively,' he added.

Tuchel most vocally shared his fears about Alexander-Arnold's talents in defence almost a year ago, in May 2025.

'I can see that sometimes he relies heavily on his offensive contributions, and gives not so much emphasis on the defensive discipline and effort,' Tuchel commented on the defender ahead of his move to Real Madrid.

‘I think there is a point to it. This major impact that he had for Liverpool over so many years, if he wants to have this impact in the English national team, then he has to take the defensive part very, very seriously.

‘Because when we are talking, especially, about qualifying football and then tournament football, the one defensive error, the one moment where you are not 100 per cent awake, can be decisive, can be the moment where you pack your suitcases and go home.'

Since moving to Madrid, Alexander-Arnold has seen his promise stifled by persistent injuries, but is starting to string together appearances for Los Blancos.

In Keane's eyes, this might have otherwise been enough to convince his national team manager.

'If you're a player like Trent and you're left out of a 35-man squad, I still think that's on you, that's on the player,' Keane added.

'You must think, "how have I not done enough to persuade a manager to get me in a squad?" There must be something.

'It's about in the group. Tuchel said from day one, "I need lads who are good travellers", all this type of thing and there's something obviously about him he doesn't like.

'It can't be football. You don't have to like everybody, but there's something amiss, of course.'

In the wake of the snub, Alexander-Arnold appeared to give his verdict of Tuchel's decision on social media on Monday.

After assisting Vinicius Jnr during the Madrid derby last weekend, Alexander-Arnold shared a picture of himself with the Brazilian star,  captioning it in Spanish: 'Madrid. And nothing else'.