‘More evidence’: Gary Neville thinks Carragher’s fears about Liverpool ace have come true

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Gary Neville has told Sky Sports Football (14/10/20 at 19:00 pm start) that Jamie Carragher’s fears about Gareth Southgate being unsure about Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold may have been proven on Wednesday.

The Liverpool right-back was dropped to the bench for England’s 1-0 defeat to Denmark in the UEFA Nations League at Wembley, with Chelsea’s Reece James’ picked to play ahead of him.

Southgate has played a variety of players in that right-back or right wing-back spot from Kyle Walker to Alexander-Arnold, and yesterday, he pushed towards a new face in Chelsea’s academy product.

During his commentary stint on Sky, Neville shared how Carragher expressed his worry that Southgate hasn’t really taken to the Liverpool man and that was proven again last night.

“It was a name on the team sheet that stood out for me [Reece James],” Neville told Sky Sports. “The fact that Trent Alexander-Arnold, who has been sensational for Liverpool now for 18 months, has been left out and was substituted late on in the game on Sunday.

“Jamie Carragher said it a month ago, he wasn’t sure that Gareth Southgate really fancies Trent Alexander-Arnold or has bought into the job he can do for him. There’s more evidence of that here tonight. The fact that he’s not playing.

“He [James] is getting into the [attacking] positions really well because he is arriving. I felt on Sunday that Trent Alexander-Arnold sometimes just stood out there too early in that attacking position. He is arriving better than the Liverpool man did on Sunday in similar areas.”

Despite England’s problems at the back, one thing is for sure, they have an abundance of talent to choose from when it comes to right-backs.

Alexander-Arnold, Walker, Ainsley-Maitland Niles, Kieran Trippier and James, are just a few players who have been used and can play that role.

Then there are those individuals who haven’t even been picked yet from Brighton’s rising star Tariq Lamptey, who would have come through the same talent-packed academy with James, and Manchester United’s Aaron Wan-Bissaka.