Trent Alexander-Arnold has been exposed and ‘exploited’ at the back this season and didn’t deserve a call-up to the latest England squad, believes Tony Cascarino.
And the talkSPORT host said Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp ‘went too far’ with his reaction to the 22-year-old’s Three Lions snub after he questioned Gareth Southgate’s decision-making for leaving out ‘the best right-back in the world’.
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Klopp admitted on Friday he was ‘surprised’ after Alexander-Arnold was left out of the England squad for World Cup qualifiers against San Marino, Albania and Poland.
The Reds ace has 12 senior caps but was not selected this time around, with Southgate explaining the right-back’s performances have dropped this season compared to the previous two years.
But Klopp said he did not understand the call, and revealed he was so convinced the Melwood graduate would be away for the international break that he had not planned for the defender to be involved in the training sessions he had scheduled with his reduced squad.
“I was surprised when he didn’t get the call-up,” said the Liverpool boss ahead of Saturday’s trip to Arsenal – LIVE and EXCLUSIVE on talkSPORT.
“I am a manager myself, I make decisions every day, every weekend, every midweek about team selections and squad selections. We always make decisions that other people probably do not understand.
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“If Trent Alexander-Arnold is not in the squad of England then England must have an extremely good squad, let me say it like this.
“I have no problem if my players get some criticism. They can get it from me, they can get it from other people.
“I respect that Gareth makes his own decisions, of course, but I didn’t understand it anyway because Trent Alexander-Arnold was in the last two seasons at least, let me say the season before and the season before that, the stand out right-back in world football – that is the truth and at an unbelievable young age.
“He started the season with COVID and you can imagine it took him a while to get into the season, but from the moment when he was in the season he was one of our most consistent players and a stand-out player.
“He could play all the time, high level all these types of things, so that cannot be the reason that he was not in the squad.”
But Southgate has been backed in his decision, with talkSPORT pundit Trevor Sinclair among those to have criticised the defender’s performances for the Premier League champions.
“He’s not been good enough this season,” the former Man City, West Ham and England midfielder said on Saturday.
“And if you’re looking on form, you’d have to say it’s right he’s not in the squad.”
Cascarino also agreed with the call from the England manager and said on Saturday’s Weekend Sports Breakfast that Klopp ‘went too far’ with his reaction.
“Trent is a fantastic wing-back, an attacking full-back, his deliveries are superb… but he’s struggled this year,” said the talkSPORT host and former Chelsea striker.
“He’s had games where he has not been as good offensively but let’s get it right, he’s probably the best attacking wing-back England have got by a long way.
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“But he’s not had a good season defensively and that means teams have tried to exploit Trent – Raheem Sterling did it for Man City, Marcus Rashford did it for Man United, I’ve seen Grealish do it when Villa won 7-2, trying to exploit the space in behind him.
“I think that’s the reason and I think Klopp went a bit too far.
“What I would say is it’s just a bit unfortunately he’s been left out, and no more than that. Managers have choices to make.
“Trent is a fabulous talent and he still has a part to play for England, I just think you cannot say he has had the season he had the year before, but quite a long way.”