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Despite early reports that he was likely to be left off of England’s final squad for this summer’s Euros, Trent Alexander-Arnold has today been named to Gareth Southgate’s 26-man squad for the upcoming tournament.
Teammate Jordan Henderson also made the cut, though in the case of Liverpool’s 30-year-old captain there were no real doubts about his inclusion despite that he only returned to action for the final week of the season following an injury layoff.
“Trent is very much in contention,” Southgate recently stated when asked about the potential to leave Alexander-Arnold out of the squad. “People tend to think I don’t think Trent is a good footballer, that just isn’t the case.
“He has indirectly come in from some criticism at a certain time and I felt the need to communicate more with him than anyone else over the past couple of months but I think his performances have been very good.”
At the time, Southgate further suggested that were he to be included in the final England squad, it’s possible he could be utilised in midfield in some form given England’s glut of players who share his position.
England take on Austria and Romania in a pair of friendlies this week as they prepare for the Euros, which kick off on Friday, June 11th, with England playing their first match on Sunday the 13th against Croatia.