Wayne Rooney Calls Trent Alexander-Arnold Omission From Thomas Tuchel’s World Cup Squad Mind-Boggling

Former England captain Wayne Rooney called it "mind-boggling" that Trent Alexander-Arnold was left out of Thomas Tuchel's final squad before the head coach makes his World Cup selection.

“Former England captain Wayne Rooney says it is "mind-boggling" that Trent Alexander-Arnold was not included in Thomas Tuchel's final squad before the head coach makes his World Cup selection”

BBC

Rooney said on the Wayne Rooney Podcast that "for him to be in the squad and playing ahead of Trent is mind-boggling," pointing to Alexander-Arnold being overlooked for England's friendlies against Uruguay and Japan in March.

BBC

The BBC reported that Arsenal full-back Ben White started both games, scoring England's opener in the 1-1 draw with Uruguay, while Newcastle's Tino Livramento and Tottenham's Djed Spence were also picked ahead of Alexander-Arnold in Tuchel's 35-man selection.

Rooney said he would back Reece James on the right side of defence this summer, even though he described the Chelsea right-back as "unreliable" as a full-back.

The BBC added that Alexander-Arnold has featured regularly for Real Madrid since recovering from a thigh problem in January but has not played for England since appearing off the bench in a World Cup qualifying victory over Andorra in June last year.

Phil Jagielka, Rooney's ex-Everton team-mate, said he thinks Alexander-Arnold "probably still makes it" for the tournament in Canada, Mexico and the USA.

Jagielka argued that "You need your best players," and said that if Alexander-Arnold proves he can play "half as well as he played for most of his time at Liverpool," he is "definitely worth taking on the plane."

Oz Arab Media

Rooney also questioned Tuchel's defensive balance, saying "Reece James isn't the most defensive," and adding that "In terms of the lads who are there, you wouldn't say they're the best defensively anyway".

The BBC described how Tuchel fielded experimental line-ups against Uruguay and Japan, with Manchester City playmaker Phil Foden featuring as a false nine against the latter in the absence of injured Bayern Munich striker and England captain Harry Kane.

Rooney said "It seems like he's still trying to figure out the rest of his squad," and added that there should be "question marks on one or two players" at that stage.

Rooney said England do not need their full-backs to be the most attacking, telling the Wayne Rooney Podcast, "We don't need our full-backs to be the most attacking; we need them to defend."

“Arabic version:واين روني ينتقد استبعاد ترينت ألكسندر-أرنولد من منتخب إنجلترا According toBBC News, Former England captain Wayne Rooney has expressed his disbelief over Trent Alexander-Arnold’s exclusion from Thomas Tuchel’s final squad ahead of the World Cup”

Oz Arab Media

He added, "Keep the balance and let the attacking player win you the games," while the BBC reported that Rooney would opt for Manchester United's Luke Shaw as England's starting left-back.

The BBC set out England's World Cup schedule, saying they begin their campaign against Croatia in Dallas on 17 June (22:00 BST) before facing Ghana in Boston six days later (21:00 BST).

The BBC also listed England's final group fixture against Panama in New Jersey on 27 June (22:00 BST), as Tuchel continues to decide on his squad after leaving Alexander-Arnold out of the friendlies.

In the same BBC report, Jagielka was quoted on the left-back race, saying "I'd go O'Reilly at this moment in time, but there's literally nothing between him and Lewis," as Nico O'Reilly and Lewis Hall were described as frontrunners.