Rio Ferdinand has questioned why defensive pair Trent Alexander-Arnold and Fikayo Tomori are being snubbed by England manager Gareth Southgate.
The duo were omitted for the squad to take on Germany at Wembley on Monday night as the Three Lions looked to end a winless run that stood at five games. Many have called on Southgate to shuffle his pack as England look for winning formula, but the manager has largely stuck by his tried-and-tested options.
Alexander-Arnold has long been a star performer for his club, Liverpool, albeit in a system that does attempt to make up for his defensive frailties. In contrast, on the international stage, he's been in and out of the squad, never establishing himself as a starter in what is a very competitive area.
Nonetheless, Ferdinand was bemused by Alexander-Arnold's omission, insisting the lack of conviction in Southgate's selection is a problem. He said on his Vibe with Five podcast : "How is Trent not in the England squad? What’s going on here? I can’t have it. I don’t know how he has not taken him. He’s not even in the squad I don’t understand, it’s either 'I know what he is, he’s brilliant, he is going to play anyway', or 'He ain't for me', what is it?"
The decision to overlook Tomori has also surprised Ferdinand. England are by no means blessed with world class centre-halves and the likes of Harry Maguire and John Stones are not starting for their clubs. Tomori, meanwhile, won the Serie A title with AC Milan last season after leaving England for a challenge in Italy.
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Ferdinand added: "That’s the question that needs to be asked. I can’t believe [it], Tomori has won Serie A, he is playing really well as an integral player in that team and can’t get anywhere near the squad. Let alone the team, he can’t get in the squad for the game.
"It’s not like we are sitting here and going 'We’ve got an unbelievable amount of centre-backs to pick from, by the way', give him a go and have a look, see if he can do it."
Southgate has been accused of having his favourites in the England squad, with certain individuals retaining their roles regardless of club form or minutes. Ferdinand claimed: "It just feels like for me Gareth Southgate feels I know who’s coming [to Qatar], I know who’s playing and these ain’t for me."
England went with a back three against Germany as Maguire, Stones and Eric Dier teamed up, with Reece James and Luke Shaw deployed as wing-backs.
