"Against a quality team, he's going to get found out" - Roy Keane aims dig at Trent Alexander-Arnold despite showing in England win

England v Greece - UEFA Nations League 2024/25 League B Group B2 - Source: Getty
Roy Keane aims dig at Trent Alexander-Arnold despite showing in England win - Source: Getty

Pundit Roy Keane has targeted Trent Alexander-Arnold despite the full-back scoring through a freekick in England's 3-1 win over Finland. The Three Lions showed up at the Helsinki Olympic Stadium on Sunday (October 13) for their Nations League clash and left with all three points in the bag.

Jack Grealish opened the scoring (18') as England ended the first half without conceding. It took until the 74th minute for Alexander-Arnold to double the score with a freekick that hit the top corner from range.

Declan Rice cemented their win in the 84th minute with the third goal while Arttu Hoskonen scored from a corner to give Finland a consolation goal (87'). Despite the win for England and Alexander-Arnold's goal, Roy Keane slammed the Liverpool vice-captain for his poor defensive output.

Trent Alexander-Arnold played in left-back for the first time in his career against Finland. However, it did not appease the Manchester United legend who hit out at his defensive ability while speaking on ITV (via GOAL):

"If you saw him the other night [against Greece] defending, it looked like he'd never played right-back before. I still can't believe how bad he is defensively and against a quality team, he's going to get found out."

Trent Alexander-Arnold won all three duels on the night. He had a total of four defensive actions, winning only one tackle out of two.


England interim head coach Lee Carsley speaks about Trent Alexander-Arnold

England interim boss Lee Carsley has spoken about Trent Alexander-Arnold after his decision to play the right-back on the left paid off against Finland. Despite the Liverpool man's quality on the ball, he has struggled to maintain a consistent spot in the Three Lions squad.

Former head coach Gareth Southgate played the 26-year-old in midfield during Euro 2024, a decision that did not turn out well. Now, Carsley has opted to put Alexander-Arnold on the left, while Kyle Walker maintains the right-back slot.

Carsley said, after the game (via BBC):

"There's no surprises in terms of the quality he's got and the areas of the pitch we can get him in. Trent's quality speaks for itself. I do not see it that I have to make a space for him, he has more than earned his space. We do get bogged down by left-back, right-back but so long as he is in effective positions it is great to have him."

Following his impressive performance and Carsley's words, it seems like Trent Alexander-Arnold will continue playing in different positions for England.

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Edited by Parag Jain
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