Neville: Trent could cost England in World Cup knockout game

Trent Alexander-Arnold’s defensive vulnerabilities make him impossible to select in a World Cup knockout match, says Gary Neville.

With England manager Gareth Southgate naming his World Cup squad on Thursday, it remains unclear whether Liverpool defender Alexander-Arnold will be on the plane to Qatar.

The full spectrum of Alexander-Arnold’s strengths and weaknesses, from raking diagonal passes to toiling one-on-one battles with Ryan Sessegnon and Ivan Perisic, were displayed in Liverpool’s 2-1 victory at Tottenham on Sunday.

Neville believes Alexander-Arnold has the attributes to become the greatest right-back the game has ever seen but all of that potential is outweighed by glaring defensive deficiencies, which could affect his World Cup inclusion.

“It’s a really tough one with Alexander-Arnold,” Neville told Sky Sports. “His brilliance going forward is out of this world.