England manager Gareth Southgate has explained why Liverpool star full-back Trent Alexander-Arnold was left out of the squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers.
Many were left surprise to see the Reds defender snubbed for the latest Three Lions 26-man squad as Southgate opted for Keiran Trippier, Reece James and Kyle Walker.
Despite showing up for the Reds in recent weeks, Southgate feels the UEFA Champions League winner has not been up to standard.
"I don't think he's played at the level he's been at during the last few years," Southgate said, as per TeamTalk.
"He's a big talent and I'm sure he will play a big role for England in the future."
Southgate also opened up about the return of Jesse Lingard, who has been starring for West Ham United since January.
"Jesse, of the three, is a little more fortunate to be in," said Southgate. "We've got injuries which have opened up an opportunity for Jesse, but his performances for West Ham have been excellent.
"He has scored goals for England, there's no doubting his quality. Ideally, you'd be saying you need to do it for a little longer, but we've lost two others that haven't been with us but have been performing well - Harvey Barnes and James Maddison."
