Trent Alexander-Arnold's surprising feelings on England squad omissions
- Alexander-Arnold has struggled for minutes with the England national team
- He is widely regarded as one of the best players in the Premier League
- The Liverpool star has discussed his England aspirations
Trent Alexander-Arnold has insisted he 'fully understands" England manager Gareth Southgate's decision to use him sparingly in the past.
Despite being a star player for one of the best club teams in the country, Alexander-Arnold has largely struggled to cement a place in England's starting XI in recent years - he played just 33 minutes of football during the most recent FIFA World Cup in 2022.
The Liverpool superstar finally found a route into Southgate's Three Lions lineup during recent international windows however, featuring as a central midfielder at the tail-end of 2023.
Speaking in an interview with FourFourTwo, Alexander-Arnold commented on his lack of game-time with England, insisting that he 'understands' Southgate's previous decisions.
"I think a lot of it comes down to timing. In a different era and different generation, I'd have played much more for my country. However, I'm a firm believer in my own ability, what I bring to a team and what I can do on a football pitch. I still believe I've got a big role to play with England, to go and help the team win silverware - whether I play every minute of a tournament or I play no minutes at all in a tournament," said Alexander-Arnold.
"I fully understand that decisions have to be made and I'll never throw my toys out the pram. I feel like I've enjoyed the good side of it at club level, as someone who knows he's going to play most games, and I've got that trust in the manager. I'm fortunate enough to not have to think about that too much at Liverpool and just go and perform.
"No matter what, no matter how the news is presented to you, it's always disappointing when you're told you're not in the squad or you're not in the team.
"But I'm someone who's very rational around those kinds of things. I know how difficult it must be. You've got so many options, so many decisions to make, and I''ll never hold it against a manager for making that decision."
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