Gary Neville has questioned whether Gareth Southgate rates Trent Alexander-Arnold in his England system, after the Liverpool defender was left on the bench against Denmark.
Despite starting in the 2-1 win over Belgium on Sunday, Alexander-Arnold was dropped for Chelsea's Reece James as Southgate opted to shuffle the pack.
The Liverpool right-back has established himself as one of the finest players in his position in recent seasons, helping Jurgen Klopp's side to win the Champions League and Premier League title in successive seasons.
Alexander-Arnold's displays for the Reds have seen him named in the Premier League team of the season for the last two years, as well as picking up the PFA Young Player of the Year award for 2019/20.
But James, who has broken into Chelsea's first team set-up under Frank Lampard, got the nod against Denmark on Wednesday night - a decision which surprised former Manchester United defender Neville, who suggested Southgate may not "fancy" Alexander-Arnold.
Speaking whilst on co-commentary for Sky Sports, Neville said: "It’s the name on the teamsheet that stood out for me.
"The fact that Trent Alexander-Arnold, who has been sensational for Liverpool for 18 months, has been left out, he was substituted late on Sunday.
"Jamie Carragher said a month or so ago, he wasn’t sure if Gareth Southgate really fancies Trent Alexander-Arnold, or has bought into the job that he can do for him. Here’s more evidence of that here tonight.”
James was sent off after final whistle against Denmark but earlier England boss Southgate had hailed his performance in last week's win over Wales, after the Chelsea full-back's cameo from the bench.
“I thought he did really well. There are so many debuts and so many good performances it was difficult to speak about everybody. I thought he used the ball very calmly, he’s got great quality in the final third of the pitch as well,” Southgate said in his press conference after the match.
“He was very strong in his defensive work so I thought he really gave a very mature performance for half an hour. He didn’t look out of place at all.
“We know he’s a player we like and is on the fringes of our thinking, he’s in a position on the pitch where there is probably as much competition for places in terms of players playing at Champions League level, never mind Premier League level, so we’re really blessed in this country in terms of right-backs. He’s right in that mix.
“We had thought about just bringing in him for that first game [against Wales] and then him perhaps going back with the Under-21s, but given the way things have panned out we think it’s important for him to stay with us and he’s performed well in training and we’re really pleased with him.”
