Trent Alexander-Arnold has once again been left out of the England squad for World Cup qualifying games against Serbia and Albania, with the Real Madrid defender facing a race against time to force his way into Thomas Tuchel’s plans before the 2026 FIFA World Cup, now just seven months away.
Limited time under Tuchel
Alexander-Arnold hasn’t featured for England since June, when he came on as a substitute for 26 minutes in a surprisingly narrow victory over Andorra in World Cup qualifying. That remains the only time the 27-year-old has played for his country under Tuchel, who has not called him up since the summer international window.
Tough start to life in Spain
The former Liverpool star has endured a difficult start to his career in Spain, making just six appearances in all competitions and logging only 165 minutes in total, an average of 27.5 minutes per game. Alexander-Arnold started Real Madrid’s first league match of the season against Osasuna but was replaced by Dani Carvajal midway through the second half after a below-par performance.
Injury setback and limited minutes
The Englishman has started only three times for the LaLiga giants and has been substituted on each occasion. That includes the Champions League game against Marseille on September 16, when he suffered a hamstring injury after just five minutes.
The injury forced Alexander-Arnold to miss seven games in September and October. He returned to Xabi Alonso’s squad for El Clásico against Barcelona on October 26 but has played only nine minutes across three games since then. His most recent appearance came in the closing stages of Tuesday’s Champions League defeat away to former club Liverpool, where he was booed by the home fans.
Trent running out of time before the World Cup
Alexander-Arnold’s omission from the England squad for the Serbia and Albania games shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise, but he is quickly running out of time and opportunities to reclaim a place before the World Cup begins in the United States, Mexico, and Canada on June 7.