England: Trent Alexander-Arnold misses out on the squad AGAIN for Nations League clash with Germany

Trent Alexander-Arnold has once again been banned from England’s squad for Monday night’s Nations League game with Germany at Wembley, but Brentford striker Ivan Toney has been included and could make his international debut.

The Liverpool right-back did not play a minute as England lost 1-0 to Italy at the San Siro on Friday and now have no more chances to impress manager Gareth Southgate before the World Cup.

AC Milan defender Fikayo Tomori, West Ham winger Jarrod Bowen, Southampton midfielder James Ward-Prowse and suspended Manchester City forward Jack Grealish are the other players left out of consideration.

The Liverpool right-back has not played a single competitive minute in the international match and has no chance of impressing Gareth Southgate on the Qatar World Cup pitch

James Ward-Prowse (left) and Jarrod Bowen (right) are among the four other players left out

Alexander-Arnold is widely regarded as one of the best attacking fullbacks in the world, but his defensive prowess has been questioned.

Jürgen Klopp’s side have been suspiciously in the back all season, with the 23-year-old criticized after a humiliating 4-1 defeat to Napoli in the Champions League and after a 2-1 defeat to rival Manchester United in the Premier League.

His omission means he has only played in five of England’s 31 games leading up to the World Cup, an astonishing stat that shows he is a long way from Southgate’s thinking.

Alexander-Arnold was a glaring omission from the last major tournament, the 2020 European Championships, which ended in defeat to Italy in the final, with injury. he was fully fit, which could well have happened anyway.

While right-back is one of England’s strongest positions, he still looks to be behind Kyle Walker, Reece James and Kieran Trippier in the pecking order.

Southgate himself said: “Of course he has a fantastic series of passes, we are blessed with different player profiles in that position. When we play with fullbacks, Trippier and Reece James are also exceptional with the ball and we should always look at the full package and judge the players on all their attributes.

Boss Southgate has rotated his options in the final match before the November tournament

“It is a very difficult position to make decisions about, but we have to choose the one we believe, and in the end I will be judged by the outcome, as we know. I don’t see any risks.

“You can have a style of play and a way of playing, and a balance in the team, that… at Liverpool they find a way of playing that makes the most of its qualities.

“And that’s what we all try to do with every team, you try to build a team that accentuates the positives, and within the group you protect yourself from how the opponents can get away from you.”

Opinions are divided over his exclusion, with Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker scathingly tweeting after the match in Italy: ‘England’s most creative footballer @TrentAA sat on the bench and got splinters in his a**e…’.

But former Chelsea defender Frank Leboeuf labeled Alexander-Arnold a ‘championship-level defender’.

He said, “Look at Trent Alexander-Arnold. I like the man, his attacking qualities. But defensively he is Championship level. Only Klopp’s system works for him. When things don’t go as well as this season, you only see his defensive shortcomings.”

However, Brentford striker Ivan Toney (pictured) has been admitted for Monday’s Nations League clash

Ben Chilwell (left) is also mentioned, but AC Milan centre-back Fikayo Tomori (right) misses

Tomori might also be hard to miss, as out-of-form Harry Maguire – who doesn’t regularly play for Manchester United at club level – and Eric Dier played 90 minutes after a two-year absence.

England were relegated from the Nations League after a disappointing loss in Milan extended their scoreless run to five games.

Toney, Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi, Chelsea defender Ben Chilwell, Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson – who has just returned from injury – and then-suspended Manchester City center back John Stones were all excluded from that game.

However, all five have made the 23-match squad against Die Mannschaft as Southgate are looking to rotate his options in the final game before the World Cup in Qatar, which starts in November.

“I feel like I have complete confidence in myself,” Toney said earlier this week. “I’ve never played for any of the other age groups, so going straight to the senior team is a big achievement.

“It’s a huge opportunity for me to get myself on the plane. But I just have to take it game by game. Hopefully I’ll get a few minutes in the games we have.”