Former England captain Wayne Rooney has described Trent Alexander-Arnold’s omission from Thomas Tuchel’s final pre-World Cup squad as “mind-boggling.” The Liverpool-born defender has been a fixture for Real Madrid since overcoming a thigh injury in January, yet he was left out of England’s friendlies against Uruguay and Japan in March, even with Chelsea right-back Reece James sidelined by injury.
Arsenal full-back Ben White started both matches, netting England’s opening goal in a 1-1 draw with Uruguay. “No disrespect to Ben White—he’s a fantastic player—but to see him in the squad and starting ahead of Trent is baffling,” Rooney noted on his podcast.
Tuchel’s 35-man selection for England’s final home friendlies before the World Cup included Newcastle’s Tino Livramento, Tottenham’s Djed Spence, and Aston Villa’s Ezri Konsa, all chosen over Alexander-Arnold. The former Liverpool star, who has been overlooked for the last four squads, last played for his country when coming off the bench in a World Cup qualifier victory over Andorra in June 2024.
However, Rooney’s former Everton teammate Phil Jagielka believes Alexander-Arnold still merits a spot for the tournament in Canada, Mexico, and the USA. “I think he’ll probably make it. You need your best players,” Jagielka said. “If he shows he can perform even close to his Liverpool levels, he’s definitely worth taking. If Reece James is fit, you put him in at right-back.”
Rooney would also start James on the right side of defense this summer, despite calling the 26-year-old “unreliable” as a full-back. “Reece James isn’t the most defensive,” Rooney added. “But among the current options, none of them are particularly strong defensively either.”
On the left side, Manchester City’s Nico O’Reilly and Newcastle’s Lewis Hall are seen as frontrunners for Tuchel’s starting eleven. O’Reilly has impressed for Pep Guardiola’s side this season, with nine goals and six assists in 50 appearances across competitions. Hall has been a standout for Newcastle in a tough campaign, featuring in 44 games and helping the Magpies reach the Champions League last 16.
Jagielka praised O’Reilly but noted defensive shortcomings. “I really enjoy watching him, but he gets caught out of position. At Manchester City, he’s not asked to play left-back,” Jagielka said. “I’d go with O’Reilly for now, but there’s very little between him and Lewis.”
Rooney prefers Luke Shaw, England’s starting left-back at Euro 2020 and the 2022 World Cup. “We don’t need our full-backs to be all-out attackers; we need them to defend,” Rooney explained. “Maintain the balance and let the attacking players win games. Luke Shaw can’t attack as much anymore, but he can defend.”
Tuchel fielded experimental line-ups against Uruguay and Japan, using Phil Foden as a false nine against the latter in the absence of injured striker Harry Kane. Rooney praised Tuchel for using those games to evaluate his squad, noting the coach is “still trying to figure out” his final selection.
