Southgate decided to not include Reds star Alexander-Arnold in his squad for England’s World Cup qualifiers against San Marino, Albania and Poland.

 

The right-back’s lacklustre displays for Liverpool this season have factored into Southgate dropping the 22-year-old from his squad.

 

 

Former top flight star Mclnally has insisted he is not surprised with Alexander-Arnold’s omission as he has not done well enough for Liverpool in the current campaign, making too many mistakes.

 

Mclnally stressed that he feels choosing other right-backs over Alexander-Arnold was an easy decision for Southgate to take.

 

 

“Yes, [Alexander-Arnold’s omission is a fall from grace] and incidentally out with playing in a team that is nowhere near where they used to be”, Mclnally told Footy Accumulators.

 

“I do not know about a lot of England fans; I was not surprised.

 

 

“I mean Trent, surely by his own admission would say ‘I do not know what has happened it has just not been my year, I have not done anything.

 

“The goals are a by-product of playing in a fabulous football club, going forward getting opportunities so by one goal or 50 goals, I do not care.

 

“He is a defender, first and foremost.

 

“He has got to come forward in the right-hand side and link play up, does not do it well enough.

 

“Makes too many mistakes and gets caught in wrong positions too much this year, that has brought part of the Liverpool problem and he is not alone in that, you cannot blame Trent Alexander-Arnold.

 

“But Kyle Walker, Reece James and [Kieran] Trippier have been by far better than Trent Alexander-Arnold.

 

“I know we are talking about fall from grace and will he go to the Euros, he still could go to the Euros by the way, he still could, injuries etc.

 

“But at the moment in time, the decision for Gareth Southgate about the right-back area was a complete and utter no-brainer, easy-peasy decision to make.

 

“I do not think it was a hard decision for him.”

 

Alexander-Arnold has 12 England caps to his name and it remains to be seen whether he can earn back a spot in Southgate’s squad with Euro 2020 coming up in the summer.