Trent Alexander-Arnold: Steven Gerrard ‘surprised, disappointed’ by Tuchel’s decision to snub Real Madrid defender from England squad
Published 21/03/2026 at 13:47 GMT
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Trent Alexander-Arnold's omission from England’s 35-man squad for their upcoming friendlies left Steven Gerrard feeling "surprised and disappointed", he revealed. The Real Madrid defender was not selected by manager Thomas Tuchel for the team's games against Uruguay and Japan at Wembley. The squad is the final one before Tuchel selects the group to travel to the 2026 FIFA World Cup this summer.
Gerrard ‘surprised’ and ‘disappointed’ by Alexander-Arnold’s England omission
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Steven Gerrard admitted he was ”surprised” that Trent Alexander-Arnold was omitted from England’s 35-man squad for their upcoming friendlies, putting his 2026 FIFA World Cup spot in danger.
Alexander-Arnold was one of the big name’s missing from Thomas Tuchel’s selections for the Three Lions’ games against Uruguay and Japan this month.
The right-back has dealt with injuries in his debut season for Real Madrid but has returned to action in recent weeks, impressing in both legs of their last-16 clash against Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League.
And Gerrard says that Alexander-Arnold’s absence from Tuchel’s squad - the final one before the England manager announces the group for this summer’s World Cup - left him ”surprised and disappointed for” the 27-year-old.
”We’ve got some good options at right-back. Reece James is world class in my opinion. I really like [Tino] Livramento, I know he’s had a couple of injuries but he can play both sides,” Gerrard told TNT Sports.
”I understand the selection but I just think is Trent in the best 35 players in this country? Of course he is.
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”And there’s going to be certain games where England have to try and open the door. They might be against a low block and its really frustrating and Trent Alexander-Arnold is one of these players that can come of the bench and can completely change the game with one pass. He’s that level of a player.”
Alexander-Arnold has played just once under Tuchel since the German was appointed manager.
Tuchel has preferred to go with other options instead, with Livramento, Djed Spence and Ezri Konsa seemingly higher in the picking order than Alexander-Arnold.
Tuchel told TalkSPORT after the squad announcement that he has ”not yet” spoken to Alexander-Arnold about his omission.
Gerrard added there are many different factors Tuchel has to take into consideration when choosing who to call up.
”There’s a lot of other circumstances and situations you’ve got to take into consideration, such as how much has he played, is he physically at his best, is there stuff going on off the pitch, is [Tuchel] thinking there’s a group of players who aren’t going to be playing who are going to be different around the place?” he said.
”So there a lot of things that are taken into consideration before you select the squad over a six-week basis, rather than a one-off game.”
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‘Surprise to me’
One of the other big-name omissions from Tuchel’s 35-man squad was Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins.
Watkins has been a mainstay of England’s squad in recent years, preferred as the No. 1 replacement to Harry Kane.
But the 30-year-old has not been at his best this season, with eight goals and one assist in 29 appearances in the Premier League.
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Tuchel instead chose to call up Leeds United’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Tottenham Hotspur’s Dominic Solanke over Watkins.
Gerrard also revealed that Watkins’ exclusion came as a shock to him.
”That is a surprise to me that Ollie isn’t there. Having worked with him up close, I know what he’s about,” the 45-year-old said. ”I know he’s not been scoring consistently lately but when Ollie’s at it and he’s firing, I believe he’s good enough to be in that list of names up front.”
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