Rooney blasts Tuchel for omitting Trent Alexander-Arnold from England squad

Wayne Rooney has framed Thomas Tuchel’s latest England call as more than a squad debate, saying Trent Alexander-Arnold’s omission was “mind-boggling” after the full-back was left out again despite regular football for Real Madrid. Alexander-Arnold has not played for England since coming off the bench against Andorra in a World Cup qualifier in June last year, and Tuchel has now gone four squads without bringing him back in.

The omission landed in a 35-man selection for England’s final home friendlies before the World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the USA. Newcastle United’s Tino Livramento, Tottenham Hotspur’s Djed Spence and Aston Villa’s Ezri Konsa were all chosen ahead of Alexander-Arnold, while Chelsea’s Reece James was unavailable through injury. Arsenal’s Ben White started both March fixtures, including England’s 1-1 draw with Uruguay, where he scored England’s opener.

Rooney made his case plainly on the Wayne Rooney Podcast. “No disrespect to Ben White – I think he's a fantastic player – but for him to be in the squad and playing ahead of Trent is mind-boggling.” The former England captain’s criticism cuts to a larger question Tuchel now has to answer: whether Alexander-Arnold has fallen behind because of form, because of system, or because England’s balance has changed under a new manager.

Phil Jagielka, Rooney’s former Everton team-mate, took the opposite view and said Alexander-Arnold still deserved a place in England’s World Cup squad. His argument was simple: England should take their best players to the tournament, and if Alexander-Arnold can reproduce even part of the level he delivered across much of his Liverpool career, he remains worth the place.

That debate matters because Alexander-Arnold is hardly an outsider in international terms. He made his senior England debut on 7 June 2018, has 34 caps and four goals, and was a regular figure in Gareth Southgate’s setup, including during the 2018 World Cup and EURO 2020 qualification. Under Tuchel, though, his standing has changed quickly, with the right-back slipping out of the picture while England’s pecking order at full-back and in wider defensive roles is redrawn.

Tuchel, appointed by the Football Association on 16 October 2024, began work on 1 January 2025 with the 2026 World Cup as his first major target. He later extended his contract until 2028. The selection calls around Alexander-Arnold now read as one of the clearest early signs of how Tuchel wants England to look, and whether he is building around tactical caution, positional trust, or a more ruthless selection hierarchy.