Thomas Tuchel Reflects on Trent Alexander-Arnold's England Exclusion
Thomas Tuchel admits it now. Leaving Trent Alexander-Arnold out of England squads, right through a World Cup, wasn’t entirely fair.
The England manager has long defended his decision to overlook the Real Madrid full-back, but speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live he allowed a rare crack of self-criticism to show.
“Was it always fair? Maybe not from my side,” Tuchel said, reflecting on a spell in which Alexander-Arnold’s England career effectively stalled. “But if you remember, the next camp was September.”
That September camp never brought a reset. Under Tuchel, Alexander-Arnold had played just 26 minutes – a brief substitute outing against Andorra – since the German took charge in October 2024. Then nothing. No recall, no late surge into contention, and ultimately no World Cup.
Tuchel’s explanation is rooted in one word: momentum. England were winning, the squad was settled, and the manager chose continuity over experimentation.
“We were suddenly flying and we stuck to the same squad in October and that was it for him,” Tuchel said. “There was never a chance for him to come back whether that was [fair] or not. I just trusted the guys who were in camp.”
For Alexander-Arnold, the route back has come not through sentiment, but through Madrid. Three starts for Real Madrid under Jose Mourinho this season have dragged him back into the conversation and, now, back into the England squad. His club form has made it impossible to ignore him any longer.
Tuchel, though, is determined to frame this not as a favour, but as a challenge. A call-up, he stressed, is not a reward for reputation or a soft landing after a difficult spell. It is an invitation into a demanding environment.
“You don’t come to relax. You don’t come to take a break,” he said. “You come to perform and it’s difficult to perform for England and the guys who perform now have our trust.
“And the guys who come new into camp, we demand the highest of them. It includes Trent but it’s not exclusively for him. It’s for everyone who comes to our camps.”
The message is blunt: past glories, Champions League nights, World Cup heartbreaks – none of it guarantees minutes now. Not under Tuchel.
For Alexander-Arnold, the task is clear and immediate. He must convince on the training pitch first, then force his way into the starting XI for the upcoming UEFA Nations League fixtures. England face world champions Spain on Saturday, a severe test of Tuchel’s evolving side, before travelling to Czechia.
The stage is set. The manager has admitted his part in the past. The defender has fought his way back from the outside. Now the question is simple: can Alexander-Arnold turn domestic form in Madrid into a permanent place in Tuchel’s England?
