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Former Liverpool midfielder Graeme Souness has delivered his verdict on right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold. The Englishman has made headlines for the wrong reasons this season as his defensive qualities have come into question.
As per BBC Sport, the defender has not been included in England's matchday squad for Monday's Nations League match against Germany tonight (September 26). The Liverpool full-back also did not play a part against Italy last week as Gareth Southgate's side lost 1-0 to Italy.
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Liverpool legend Graeme Souness has admitted that the Champions League-winning right-back needs to work on his defending. However, he has insisted that Southgate should include the Reds full-back in his squad for the 2022 World Cup finals in Qatar.
Souness told talkSPORT, as quoted by HITC Sport:
“I think he has got some deficiencies when it comes to defending, but what he gives going forward far outweighs that. In saying that, I think to win in football, you have to start a game believing you are going to play the very best of what team you are playing against."
"So in that sense, you may start with a better defender, but you have got to involve Trent in your World Cup squad.”
The Liverpool defender needs to improve defensively soon
The Reds have been exposed in defense so far this season as their star defenders have all struggled. Alexander-Arnold has never been known for his defensive qualities but has hardly struggled as much as he has this campaign.
In Jurgen Klopp's system, the full-backs operate very high up the pitch, especially Alexander-Arnold. The Englishman has failed to track back when needed, letting his team down.
Alexander-Arnold needs to buckle up as a few more poor showings could end up costing him a place in England's FIFA World Cup squad for Qatar. The full-back went through a similar spell last year. However, he did well to bounce back and reclaim his place in Southgate's side.
England have competition for places at right-back with quality options like Reece James, Kyle Walker, and Kieran Trippier available. Kyle Walker-Peters, Max Aarons, Tino Livramento, Tariq Lamptey and James Justin could also rival Alexander-Arnold for a spot in the Three Lions squad.
