90min

Report: Trent Alexander-Arnold handed surprise England role against Finland

  • Liverpool star could be given left-back spot for England's clash with Finland
  • Man City's Kyle Walker expected to step in at right-back
  • Harry Kane, Jack Grealish and Marc Guehi could return

By Katie Catherall

Alexander-Arnold could play on the left
Alexander-Arnold could play on the left / James Gill - Danehouse/GettyImages
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Trent Alexander-Arnold is expected to be given the left-back position when England face Finland in the UEFA Nations League on Sunday.

Interim manager Lee Carsley's experiments have so far failed to impress. His decision to play Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden together as false nines last time out placed doubts over his abilities to command the team, while his attacking lineup ultimately failed to defeat Greece.

Carsley had suggested he would avoid any more big surprises in his time left at the helm but, according to BBC Sport, he is set to shake things up at the back this time.

Liverpool star Alexander-Arnold will give up his usual right-back role and instead switch to the other side of defence. His introduction at left-back would see Manchester City's Rico Lewis lose the spot that he occupied during England's 2-1 defeat to Greece on Thursday, while Chelsea's Levi Colwill would also miss out on the chance to move to the left.

Alexander-Arnold's position in the England squad has been a hot topic as of late, with former manager Gareth Southgate choosing to station him in midfield during Euro 2024. Whole Southgate's midfield experiment received a lot of backlash, it seems Carsley remains unafraid to make changes.

Harry Kane
Kane was forced to watch England's clash with Greece from the stands / Marc Atkins/GettyImages

Reports also state that Bayern Munich's Harry Kane and City's Jack Grealish are expected to be welcomed to the team after missing England's last fixture. Kane was unable to recover from injury in time to be selected to face Greece, but could make a comeback on Sunday.

Crystal Palace star Marc Guehi, who impressed during England's Euro 2024 campaign, could come in at centre-back, adding a further change to the back-four that lost out to Greece.

If Alexander-Arnold is to lose his right-back spot, it's assumed that Kyle Walker will return in his place.

England's last clash of the October international break will come against Finland at the Helsinki Olympic Stadium.

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