Trent Alexander-Arnold shouldn’t have gone to the World Cup if he wasn’t going to play, according to former Liverpool and England star Glen Johnson.
The Three Lions crashed out in the quarter-finals after being bested by eventual runners-up France, with Alexander-Arnold’s only run out coming in England’s 3-0 win over Wales in the group stage (he came on as sub after England’s second goal).
Gareth Southgate has made it clear he isn’t the biggest fan of the Liverpool defender, frequently picking the likes of Kyle Walker, Reece James and Kieran Trippier ahead of him at right back, and Johnson thinks Alexander-Arnold would’ve been better served staying at home given how far down the pecking order is.
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“As a player like Trent Alexander-Arnold who wants to help the team and be successful but does not play any minutes, it’s heartbreaking,” Johnson said speaking exclusively to Midnite.
“Looking at it now, it might’ve been better for him to have stayed at home.”
Johnson, who played 200 times for Liverpool between 2009 and 2015, said that although Alexander-Arnold will have endured a frustrating few weeks, it means he’ll be returning to Anfield “fired up” and looking to prove a point.
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“The way he is, Alexander-Arnold will turn this negative into a positive, coming back he will be fired up and he’ll want to show people what he can do. I’d expect Alexander-Arnold to take these next few months very seriously,” Johnson added.
“I left Chelsea when I was not being played like Trent, I had to prove a point.”
Alexander-Arnold hasn’t been in the best of form for Liverpool this season. Going forward he’s one of the most talented players in the country, but his defensive deficiencies are beginning to cause problems.
But sitting on the bench for a month out in Qatar, as Johnson says, might just be the fuel the 24-year-old needs to turn his (and with any luck, Liverpool’s) season around.
Johnson made over 400 appearances in English football across spells with West Ham, Chelsea, Portsmouth, Liverpool, Stoke. He also made 54 appearances for England, featuring at three major tournaments, including two World Cups.
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