England fans were left crying out for Trent Alexander-Arnold after the dull goalless draw with Ghana, with the decision to leave the former Liverpool star out of the World Cup alreay looking like a bad call
09:45, 24 Jun 2026
BARCELONA, SPAIN - MAY 10: Trent Alexander-Arnold of Real Madrid warm up prior to the LaLiga EA Sports match between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid CF at Spotify Camp Nou on May 10, 2026 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Eric Alonso/Getty Images)
Trent Alexander-Arnold was snubbed by England boss Thomas Tuchel for the World Cup(Image: Getty Images)
Thomas Tuchel’s decision to repeatedly snub Trent Alexander-Arnold is looking more and more confusing after England’s first slip-up at the World Cup.
The Three Lions were held to a dull goalless draw by Ghana in their second group game in Boston, putting their hopes of topping their group and reaching the knockout stages on hold for now - although they are likely to already have enough points.
Although England dominated possession, there was very little quality on show, with Nico O’Reilly coming closest to breaking the deadlock after seeing his header come back off the bar before Harry Kane sent his follow-up flying over.
With Ghana clearly happy to sit back and soak up the England pressure, Tuchel’s side found it near impossible to find a way through, leaving fans scratching their heads as to why the German chose to leave Alexander-Arnold at home.
The former Liverpool vice-captain has fallen out of favor with his national side, having not featured since June 2025, but fans were crying out for him during Tuesday’s bore draw.
“I mean if you’re just gonna spam final third crosses for 90 minutes then you might as well have brought Trent,” one supporter posted on X.
Trent Alexander-Arnold and Thomas Tuchel during an England game against Andorra.
Thomas Tuchel has continually snubbed Trent Alexander-Arnold for England(Image: Joan Valls/Urbanandsport/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Another wrote: “You know which England player would be perfect to bring on for this game? Trent Alexander-Arnold.”
Meanwhile, another exclaimed: “Bizarre that Trent or Wharton weren't called up. England look clueless at trying to break the lines from deep.”
Alexander-Arnold was left out of the original 26-man squad before suffering another snub when Tino Livramento was ruled out of the tournament, with Chelsea center-back Trevoh Chalobah called up instead.
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Tuchel’s decision to continually overlook Alexander-Arnold has left plenty of fans and pundits baffled. Although the 27-year-old endured a mixed first year at Real Madrid, many felt he should have still earned a call-up to add more quality to England’s squad.
"You know I'm obviously a big admirer of Trent," Gary Lineker said on The Rest is Football podcast back in March.
"I think there's something personal because football-wise there's no argument. I can't see how he can not be in that squad because he has to improve your chances, even if it's from the bench.
Gary Lineker
Gary Lineker has been left baffled by Alexander-Arnold's exclusion(Image: Jason Alden/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
"So I suspect there's something that Tuchel does not like about Trent Alexander-Arnold. I'm just guessing in terms of what it might be, whether it's his attitude, whether it's he's not brilliant defensively.
"There has to be something in that because it makes absolutely no sense."
England needs a win from its final group game against Panama in order to guarantee top spot in its group which should, in theory, secure a favorable draw in the last-32.
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As things stand, Tuchel’s side is set to face Cape Verde in its first knockout game, although that outlook could change dramatically during the final round of group games over the next few days.