Rooney Calls Alexander-Arnold’s England Omission ‘Mind-Boggling’ Ahead of World Cup Selection

• Wayne Rooney says Trent Alexander-Arnold should have been included in Thomas Tuchel’s squad for England’s final pre-World Cup friendlies.
• Phil Jagielka believes the Real Madrid defender still makes the tournament squad, while Rooney would start Reece James at right-back.
• Both pundits see the left-back spot as a toss-up between Manchester City’s Nico O’Reilly and Newcastle’s Lewis Hall, though Rooney would pick Luke Shaw.

Alexander-Arnold Left Out of Four Consecutive Squads

Wayne Rooney has questioned Thomas Tuchel’s decision to leave Trent Alexander-Arnold out of England’s final squad announcement before the head coach names his World Cup selection, calling the omission “mind-boggling.”

Alexander-Arnold has been a regular in Real Madrid’s lineup since returning from a thigh injury in January, but Tuchel overlooked him for England’s March friendlies against Uruguay and Japan. Chelsea right-back Reece James was unavailable through injury for those matches, and Arsenal’s Ben White started both games, scoring England’s opening goal in a 1-1 draw with Uruguay.

“No disrespect to Ben White – I think he’s a fantastic player – but for him to be in the squad and playing ahead of Trent is mind-boggling,” Rooney said on the Wayne Rooney Podcast.

Newcastle’s Tino Livramento, Tottenham’s Djed Spence, and Aston Villa’s Ezri Konsa were all selected ahead of Alexander-Arnold in Tuchel’s 35-man squad for those final home friendlies. The former Liverpool star has now missed four consecutive England squads and has not represented his country since coming off the bench in a World Cup qualifying win over Andorra in June last year.

Jagielka Backs Alexander-Arnold for the Tournament

Phil Jagielka, Rooney’s former teammate at Everton, believes Alexander-Arnold should still make the cut for the tournament in Canada, Mexico, and the United States.

“I think he probably still makes it,” Jagielka said. “You need your best players.

“If [Alexander-Arnold] proves he can play half as well as he played for most of his time at Liverpool, he’s definitely worth taking on the plane. If Reece James is fit, you put him in [at right-back].”

Rooney agreed that James should start on the right side of defense this summer, though he offered a candid assessment of the 26-year-old’s limitations.

“Reece James isn’t the most defensive,” Rooney said. “In terms of the lads who are there, you wouldn’t say they’re the best defensively anyway, [any] of them.”

O’Reilly and Hall Neck and Neck at Left-Back

On the opposite flank, Manchester City’s Nico O’Reilly and Newcastle’s Lewis Hall are considered the leading contenders for the left-back role in Tuchel’s starting lineup.

O’Reilly has had a standout season under Pep Guardiola, registering nine goals and six assists across 50 appearances in all competitions. Hall has been one of Newcastle’s most consistent performers during a difficult campaign for Eddie Howe’s side, appearing in 44 matches and helping the club reach the last 16 of the Champions League.

Jagielka is a fan of O’Reilly, who is also capable of playing in midfield, but the former center-back sees defensive awareness as an area the 21-year-old needs to sharpen before locking down the starting spot.

“I really, really enjoy watching O’Reilly, but he gets caught out of defence,” Jagielka said. “He doesn’t get asked to play left-back when he’s at Manchester City.

“I’d go O’Reilly at this moment in time, but there’s literally nothing between him and Lewis.”

Rooney would go a different direction entirely and pick Manchester United’s Luke Shaw, who started at left-back for England at Euro 2020 and the 2022 World Cup.

“We don’t need our full-backs to be the most attacking; we need them to defend,” Rooney said. “Keep the balance and let the attacking player win you the games.

“Luke Shaw can’t [attack] as much now, but what he can do is defend.”

Rooney Questions Whether Tuchel Has Settled on His Team

Tuchel used experimental lineups in both March friendlies. Against Japan, Manchester City playmaker Phil Foden was deployed as a false nine with Bayern Munich striker and England captain Harry Kane absent through injury.

Rooney appreciates Tuchel’s willingness to use those fixtures to evaluate fringe players, but he believes the former Chelsea manager should be further along in finalizing his squad by now.

“We’ve created a pressure,” Rooney said. “I like what Tuchel has done, but I still think, at this stage, you should be having question marks on one or two players.

“It seems like he’s still trying to figure out the rest of his squad, and 10 [starting] players.”

England’s World Cup Group Stage Schedule

England open their World Cup campaign against Croatia in Dallas on June 17 (10:00 PM BST) before facing Ghana in Boston six days later on June 23 (9:00 PM BST). Their final group fixture is against Panama in New Jersey on June 27 (10:00 PM BST).