‘Not having him there is madness’: Former England international surprised by Real Madrid star’s World Cup snub | OneFootball

Earlier this week, Thomas Tuchel announced England’s final squad for the upcoming World Cup, and one of the biggest headlines was the omission of Trent Alexander-Arnold.

The Real Madrid right-back will not be travelling to the tournament, joining other notable absentees such as Chelsea’s Cole Palmer and Manchester City’s Phil Foden.

Trent’s close friend and Real Madrid teammate Jude Bellingham, however, has been named in the squad.

Trent exclusion shocks Kyle Walker

Former Manchester City and England defender Kyle Walker, currently playing for Burnley, delivered a strong response regarding Trent’s exclusion.

Walker shocked by Trent’s England omission. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)

The 35-year-old right-back spent years alongside Trent in the England setup and retired in March earlier this year, when he was just four appearances short of reaching 100 caps for the Three Lions.

And the veteran star made it clear that he does not understand the decision from Tuchel to leave Trent out.

“A Real Madrid player not being included in the England national team is something unheard of,” Walker said on talkSPORT (h/t AS).

“Everyone talks about what Trent doesn’t do well. Talk about what he does do well! He’s probably the best right-back in the world when it comes to passing, crossing, assists, and then there’s his catalogue of big performances.”

Not going to the World Cup. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

“Not having him there is madness,” Walker concluded.

Trent out-of-favour under Tuchel

At 27 years old, Trent receives one of the toughest setbacks of his professional career. Having moved to Real Madrid from Liverpool last summer, the right-back finds himself completely frozen out of the national team picture by Tuchel.

He has 34 caps for England, in which he has scored four goals. He was part of the Three Lions’ World Cup squad in 2018 and 2022, as well as the UEFA Euro 2024.

However, the defender will miss out on the World Cup in North America this summer.