Trent Alexander-Arnold Remains In Tuchel's England World Cup Thoughts After Madrid Post

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Thomas Tuchel says Trent Alexander-Arnold is still being considered for the England World Cup squad, despite recent omissions and social media noise. Tuchel stresses that Real Madrid’s full-back is on an extended shortlist, even though other right-backs currently hold the advantage in the selection race.

Alexander-Arnold has featured only once for England since Tuchel’s appointment in January, continuing a pattern from Gareth Southgate’s tenure. During Southgate’s time, Alexander-Arnold struggled for consistent minutes, which included limited use at the 2022 World Cup and tactical changes at Euro 2024.

The competition at right-back remains heavy, even after the international retirements of Kyle Walker and Kieran Trippier. Tuchel confirms that Reece James, Djed Spence, Tino Livramento and Ben White are all ahead of Alexander-Arnold in the current pecking order, though the coach insists no final call has been made.

Tuchel outlined how England’s tactical approach developed while Alexander-Arnold was not involved in recent camps. "We created a slightly different game model when he was not in camp in September, October and November. It was a game model built on intensity, built on positivity, built even on the profile of the right full-back on overlaps and underlaps, very intense. So it was a slightly different profile of players who were with us in camp and who performed so well. We just stuck with these guys."

Tuchel accepted Alexander-Arnold’s disappointment, including the Instagram caption "Madrid, nothing else" after omission from squads to face Uruguay and Japan. "Well, fair enough," Tuchel said of Alexander-Arnold's social media post. "I think it's a very hard decision that we took. There's no doubt about his talent, no doubt about his career and what he can give to teams."

Tuchel reflected on previous squads and Alexander-Arnold’s response to setbacks. "He was with us in June, and he should have maybe deserved a second chance. It is a very hard decision. I'm aware of it, but he took it on the chin. He will keep on going. I will make sure that I see some matches from Real Madrid, maybe in the Champions League, to get my last impressions. He's on the long list, and everyone is still in the mix, but at the moment, some other guys are just ahead of him."

Alexander-Arnold has earned 34 England caps so far. Injury ruled Alexander-Arnold out of Euro 2020, then at the 2022 World Cup Alexander-Arnold made only one appearance. During Euro 2024, Alexander-Arnold lost a starting place after two games of the Three Lions’ campaign under Southgate.

The current right-back situation for the England World Cup squad is shown below.

Tuchel’s comments leave Alexander-Arnold’s England World Cup squad hopes alive but uncertain. The coach plans further scouting of Real Madrid, including Champions League games, before deciding. With several right-backs impressing in an intense, high-energy system, Alexander-Arnold faces strong competition yet remains firmly part of the conversation.