Gary Lineker believes there's something 'personal' behind Thomas Tuchel's decision to leave Trent Alexander-Arnold out of his England squad
Trent Alexander-Arnold
Trent Alexander-Arnold's omission from this month’s England squad has sparked debate(Image: Getty Images)
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Gary Lineker suspects that there's something 'personal' behind Thomas Tuchel's decision to exclude Trent Alexander-Arnold from his England squad. The former Liverpool man, 27, last represented the Three Lions in June 2025, which remains his sole appearance since Tuchel took the reins 15 months ago.
Tuchel's most recent England squad has made it clear that the Real Madrid star is lower in the right-back pecking order than Reece James, Tino Livramento, Jarell Quansah and Ben White. There's also intense competition in midfield, where Alexander-Arnold was positioned during Euro 2024, only to be dropped by former Three Lions manager Gareth Southgate after two matches.
However, Lineker can't comprehend why the ex-Liverpool player continues to be overlooked, and believes that Tuchel's decision goes beyond football. "You know I'm obviously a big admirer of Trent," Lineker started on the The Rest is Football podcast.
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"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.
"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."
The England icon continued to argue that players like White, who was drafted in as Quansah's replacement this month, 'are not in the same league as Alexander-Arnold.'
Lineker further stated that Tuchel is being 'really insulting' towards him. "You got players playing in his position, with all due respect, that are not in the same league as him, certainly with the ball at his feet," Lineker went on.
Trent Alexander-Arnold
Trent Alexander-Arnold has not featured for England since last summer(Image: PA)
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"As you saw in these kinds of games, you need someone with a bit of magic to unlock things, and he will provide you that. So it doesn't make sense to me.
"I don't know whether it's his attitude or whatever it is, I don't know. But I find it also quite insulting bringing players in. We talk about the Ben White situation, for example, here.
"He's not wanted to play for England. I wouldn't judge him on that because we don't really know what exactly happened in the camp and his reasons for not playing.
Lineker continued: "The players do within the squad, and you know there were talks about big fall-outs and him not being treated very well, you know, and then Tuchel says he's called him up, he's brought him in.
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"That's fine, but I can't see how he can still be ahead of Trent Alexander-Arnold. I think that it's really insulting to a seriously top full-back. So, that's my view."
At a press conference prior to England's 1-1 draw with Uruguay on Friday, Tuchel was questioned about Alexander-Arnold's decision to post 'Madrid and nothing more' on Instagram, after aiding Real in their victory over rivals Atletico before the international break. The phrase is from a song frequently sung by their supporters at the Bernabeu.
"As a response to not being nominated?' Tuchel responded. "Well, fair enough, fair enough. I think it is a very tough decision that we made.
"There's no question about his talent, his career, and what he can contribute to teams. We developed a slightly different game model when he wasn't in camp in September, October, November - it was a game model that was based on intensity and positivity, even built on the profile of the right full-back on overlaps, underlaps, very intense.
"It was a slightly different profile of players in camp who performed exceptionally well. We just stick to these guys."