LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 27: Thomas Tuchel, Head Coach of England, interacts with James Garner of England during the international friendly match between England and Uruguay at Wembley Stadium on March 27, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Eddie Keogh - The FA/The FA via Getty Images)
Thomas Tuchel, head coach of England, greets James Garner as he leaves the pitch during the friendly with Uruguay at Wembley(Image: Eddie Keogh - The FA/The FA via Getty Images)
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Injuries to Reece James and Tino Livramento have led to questions over whether Thomas Tuchel should have taken Trent Alexander-Arnold to the World Cup. But while it is perplexing that the England head coach has continuously overlooked the chance to call up the former Liverpool star, there is another Merseyside-born player who could have solved what is developing into a real problem.
The Three Lions boss raised eyebrows when he named James and Livramento as his right-back options for the 2026 World Cup in North America. Both are excellent players, but both are prone to injury, and England fans' worst fears have now been confirmed with the latter having already withdrawn from the squad before a ball had been kicked and the former now unlikely to feature again unless Tuchel's team reach the latter stages of the tournament.
When Livramento pulled out, the German turned to another of his Chelsea old boys, Trevoh Chalobah, despite him being a centre-back.
It was a new low blow for Alexander-Arnold, who despite a challenging first season at Real Madrid, as one of the country's most technically gifted footballers, would have every right to feel he is good enough to be in the squad, certainly in front of the plethora of centre-backs who may now need to cover for James in his absence through a hamstring injury.
But, in truth, Alexander-Arnold has, for some time now, felt firmly out of the picture under Tuchel, who has publicly questioned the West Derby-born right-back's defensive capabilities.
The same, however, cannot be said of James Garner, the Birkenhead-born Everton midfielder who, after making his England senior debut in the 1-1 friendly draw against Uruguay at Wembley in March, was called a "mini Valverde" by his manager, in reference to the visiting captain and Real Madrid team-mate of Alexander-Arnold.
Tuchel said: "I am very happy, he is our mini Valverde. He is getting there and he played very, very good.
"I was quite sure that he would play good because he has this natural confidence and he is very physical, he won a lot of balls, I think there are some situations when he can be a little bit more open in the body positions and drive through midfield with a little bit more confidence.
"I think in the last 10 minutes of the first half he was involved in some ball losses that cost us a bit of confidence but overall I was very impressed with the way he trained and the way he behaved and the way he played."
Garner then got further minutes in the 1-0 loss to Japan at Wembley so, even though his form dipped slightly toward the end of the Premier League campaign, there was still surprise when he was omitted from Tuchel's final squad for the World Cup.
While there are top-class and more established players ahead of him in the midfield pecking order, few can offer the versatility of Everton's Player of the Season, who has proved time and again that he is a very capable right-back, in addition to being an option at left-back.
With James now joining Livramento on the sidelines, and first-choice centre-midfielders Declan Rice and Elliot Anderson having minor issues to nurse, Garner could be just the type of player England need right now.
Instead, Tuchel will have to turn versatile Tottenham Hotspur full-back Djed Spence, who he has been using as a left-back, or former Liverpool centre-back Jarell Quansah, to play right-back. Two more centre-backs, former Everton star John Stones and Aston Villa's captain, Ezri Konsa, could also come into the frame.
Tuchel, speaking ahead of the clash with Panama in New Jersey on Saturday night, said: "The thinking of calling Chalobah is to free up Quansah on the right full-back position for us.
"I saw him playing very strongly there for Liverpool and he played enough in a back three - which is not so far from the position - in Leverkusen. And we have Djed Spence.
"No-one could see that (James injury) coming. Reece was in good shape.
"Konsa played in that right-back position as well for us on a high level. No problem. We would love to have Reece as a key player but he's not available. We will find solutions. That's what we do."
Given James' long-standing injury issues, sadly it should not have come as a surprise. And nor should it come as a surprise to Tuchel that Alexander-Arnold's name continues to be brought up.