Alexander-Arnold must accept England’s ‘unfair’ criticism, says Tuchel

England manager Thomas Tuchel says he has been “a degree of unfairness” to Trent Alexander-Arnold after ruling out the Real Madrid right-back despite naming a 35-man squad for friendlies against Uruguay and Japan.

The matches at Wembley on Friday and Tuesday will be the last chances for players to impress in an England shirt before Tuchel announces his World Cup squad.

However, Alexander-Arnold’s chances of selection for the tournament in North America appear slim as he not only missed out on the first-team squad but was also overlooked in favor of Arsenal’s Ben White after Jarrell Quansah dropped out due to injury.

White has not played for England since leaving the 2022 World Cup early and subsequently making himself unavailable for selection under Tuchel’s predecessor, Gareth Southgate.

«A sporting choice. Perhaps a difficult choice and perhaps unfair to some extent,» Tuchel said on Thursday when asked to explain the omission of former Liverpool defender Alexander-Arnold.

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«I know it creates noise when you leave a player like Trent out. We called; I tried to explain the situation. He just has to accept it.»

After an injury-hit start to his Madrid career, Alexander-Arnold has ousted Dani Carvajal to become a regular under Alvaro Arbeloa. He played a starring role as the Spanish giants defeated Manchester City to reach the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

The decision to bring White back to the international fold has been criticised.

White reportedly had a falling out with Southgate’s assistant Steve Holland, which led to his exile in England.

«I once asked Ben if he was ready to play for me and for England. He said straight away, without hesitation, that he would love to come back and that he was desperate to come back,» Germany boss Tuchel added.

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«The reaction came within seconds. It was very euphoric, very positive and very emotional. That showed me that he really means it.»

«The way he behaves and the way he has trained here in the camp is exceptional, very, very good. It shows his quality.»

Tuchel has allowed eleven players from his selection who are more certain of their World Cup place to skip the match in Uruguay, including captain Harry Kane.

Tottenham’s Dominic Solanke and Leeds’ Dominic Calvert-Lewin will therefore get the chance to make their case to be Kane’s substitute at the World Cup.

“It is important that they understand that it is a big opportunity to be without Harry in the camp, to compete for a real chance to start and get good minutes,” Tuchel said deryr4d.

«The question is if we chase a result, do we really take Harry off? When is there an opportunity to be a substitute for Harry? Or are we looking for someone who will play with Harry? Or someone who can take penalties well?»

“These are the questions we need to answer.”

Published on March 27, 2026