Noel Whelan

Fri 19 March 2021 20:30, UK

Liverpool will be delighted Trent Alexander-Arnold has surprisingly been left out of the England squad, according to Noel Whelan.

The former Leeds United striker, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, suggested the 22-year-old could now prioritise on getting his form back for the Reds.

Gareth Southgate revealed his squad on Thursday, with Reece James, Kieran Trippier and Kyle Walker his recognised right-backs.

Addressing Alexander-Arnold’s absence, the England boss admitted the Liverpool star was “very unfortunate” to miss out but insisted he had picked players based on form.

The defender has been a mainstay for the Reds but has not hit the heights of previous seasons.

He has also been a regular among the England squad since his debut back in 2018.

However, Whelan suggested his exclusion was good news for Klopp and his squad.

Asked if he thought Klopp would be delighted to keep the right-back at Melwood over the international break, Whelan told Football Insider’s Russell Edge: “Yeah, of course. Right now he’s not in the squad. I guarantee you when it comes to the Euros, he’ll be there.

“I don’t think there’s too much to worry about, it’s just about him finding that form again consistently. It’s about Liverpool finding that form consistently as well because it’s not just down to one player, it’s the whole team performance.

“When you’re doing well, you get recognised, when you’re doing well, you get recognition, internationally. Liverpool have not hit the marks as expected and there’s a lot of players down in form. It’s spread throughout their squad.

“It’s a surprise but he’s not had the best of seasons. We know the talent’s still there. He’s young, he’s going to be there for a number of years.

“When you look at getting picked on how you’re playing, right now he’s not done enough to get in ahead of Trippier or Walker.”

In other news, Georginio Wijnaldum’s replacement will cost “tens of millions” as deal 95 per cent done, according to Paul Robinson.