England boss Thomas Tuchel insists Trent Alexander-Arnold’s World Cup hopes are not over, but admits he is down the pecking order after being left out of a bumper 35-man squad for friendlies against Uruguay and Japan.
Alexander-Arnold was a glaring omission in a group which contains a host of recalled names such as Harry Maguire, Kobbie Mainoo and Dominic Calvert-Lewin for the final two games before Tuchel selects his squad for this summer’s tournament in North America.
The Real Madrid right-back has now not featured in any of Tuchel’s four squads this season and being excluded from such a large group, especially with Reece James missing through injury, does not bode well for his chances of being on the plane in three months.
Tuchel says he is rewarding players who helped deliver World Cup qualification in the autumn, but Alexander-Arnold is not out of his thinking.
Asked whether the 27-year-old’s hopes are over, Tuchel replied: “No. I know that it’s a tough decision for Trent, as it is for, I guess, Ollie Watkins at the moment, and for Luke Shaw.
“These tough decisions come with a job. It is a sporting decision to stick with Jarell Quansah, Tino Livramento and with Djed Spence, who can all play for us in the right full-back position.
“I know it’s a big name. I think he’s a huge talent and has a big career but I feel that I know what Trent can give us and decided to stick to the players who were in camp with us.
“They offer a slightly different profile, I would say. But it is more the evidence that we have that we were good in September, October, November, than anything to do with what Trent cannot offer us.
“I know very well what Trent can offer us. I played many times against him and suffered when he played against my teams with Liverpool. So I know very well about his strength and what he can give.”
There are timely recalls for Maguire and Mainoo, who feature for the first time under the German.
“I think Manchester United have had an outstanding run since Michael Carrick is in charge, and Harry and Kobbie are a big part of that,” Tuchel added.
Here we go. It's your #ThreeLions squad for March camp! 👀
— England (@England) March 20, 2026
“It’s the last camp before the US and it’s the last chance also for me to get to know new players, to learn about new players.
“I want to see them around other players. I want to feel them on the pitch. I want to see what they’re capable of and learn about them to make a clear decision.”
Fikayo Tomori, Lewis Hall and Dominic Solanke were also brought back into the fold, while there were call-ups for uncapped duo James Garner and Jason Steele.
Brighton goalkeeper Steele, 35, joins the group with the intention of him travelling to the World Cup in a training capacity.
🏴 Instant reaction with James Garner following his @England call-up. pic.twitter.com/DtjIWom2Bx
— Everton (@Everton) March 20, 2026
The 35-man squad will be split into two with 19 outfield players getting the chance to compete for minutes in the first friendly against Uruguay next Friday.
Harry Kane, Dean Henderson, Dan Burn, Marc Guehi, Ezri Konsa, Nico O’Reilly, Elliot Anderson, Declan Rice, Morgan Rogers, Anthony Gordon and Bukayo Saka, who all seem certain to be in Tuchel’s World Cup squad, will then join the group ahead of the Japan game.
“There is still a lot of football to play, all of these players have contributed in September, October, November, so they have a bit of credit with me,” Tuchel said.
“And we think that to give them a break, mentally and physically, we will benefit from it. They will come with hunger.
“Once they come, I think the headline changes a bit in camp. The competition for the ticket, it will still be on, but it’s more about reconnecting the group and reconnecting also to our standards and to our level.
“That’s the expectation, and that’s why we gave these players a bit of a break and the chance to join us later.”
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