'Axed Alexander-Arnold faces fight for club & country'

Trent Alexander-Arnold was omitted from England's squad for World Cup qualifiers against Andorra and Serbia, compounding a difficult start at Real Madrid where he was relegated to the bench. Thomas Tuchel expressed defensive reservations about Alexander-Arnold and prioritized other options, selecting Reece James and Tino Livramento ahead of him. Alexander-Arnold played only 26 minutes as a substitute in the Andorra qualifier and did not feature in the friendly loss to Senegal. The player now faces a significant challenge to regain Tuchel's confidence and secure a place in England's plans for the next summer's World Cup.

"We decided for a tighter, more competitive squad. We didn't use all 23 players. There is no doubt I am a big fan of Trent and Jack Grealish. "Big players and big personalities, always in the mix. I know both are desperate but in this camp we decided for Reece James and [Tino] Livramento in Trent's position, and in Jack's position Marcus Rashford and Eberechi Eze."

"The German made all the right noises, but has previously barely disguised his reservations about Alexander-Arnold defensively, even to the extent of picking his former Liverpool team-mate Curtis Jones, an established midfielder, ahead of him for the World Cup qualifier against Andorra in June. Alexander-Arnold only played 26 minutes as a substitute in that game, then did not figure at all in the subsequent friendly defeat to Senegal at the City Ground in Nottingham."

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