Gareth Southgate has suggested leaving Trent Alexander-Arnold out of his England squad has 'nothing to do with the World Cup' after the Liverpool man failed the make the Three Lions' bench in their match against Germany.
Alexander-Arnold, alongside Jarrod Bowen, James Ward-Prowse and Fikayo Tomori, was one of the players left out of the squad for the side's final game before the World Cup, which starts in less than two months.
But Southgate, speaking on Channel 4 before the match, insisted the defender's exclusion doesn't impact his chances of being named in England's 26-man squad for the tournament.
'It’s nothing to do with the World Cup,' Southgate said. 'We have four right backs with exceptional quality.'
'Kieran Trippier is playing exceptionally well and Reece James has been one of the outstanding players in the league.
'We know Trent is a very very good footballer and that’s why we picked him in the squad.'
Thomas Hitzlsperger, working as a pundit for the game, suggested that Alexander-Arnold's exclusion may be down to his lack of leadership, citing Harry Maguire's back-to-back starts as a possible signal for a characteristic the England boss values highly.
‘Gareth talks abut leadership a lot,' said the former midfielder.
'Maybe Trent is not the sort of leader he wants. He wants players he can rely on like Harry Maguire.’
Alexander-Arnold was an unused substitute in England's defeat against Italy last week and has struggled to put together a run of games under Southgate.
Former England forward Jermaine Defoe, also working as a pundit on the game, admitted the decision to leave him out would have been a hard one to make, but that he understood the reasons behind it.
‘He is someone that has always impressed me,' said Defoe, who retired from professional football earlier this year.
'It is a difficult one. He has so many players in that position and going forward Trent is a great player.
'It is a bit harsh, but what can you do when you have those players?'