Tuchel reveals Alexander-Arnold’s former Liverpool teammate Quansah is ahead of him in the pecking order for England | OneFootball

England national team manager Thomas Tuchel has revealed that Jarell Quansah is ahead of Trent Alexander-Arnold in the pecking order for the right-back role.

Alexander-Arnold joined Real Madrid from Liverpool last summer but has struggled with adapting to Spanish football.

The 27-year-old has played only 172 minutes of football for Los Blancos this season, leaving his place in the England national team in jeopardy.

Alexander-Arnold has not played for the Three Lions since June, with Reece James establishing himself as the first-choice right-back.

However, Quansah is now ahead of Alexander-Arnold, too, after featuring at right-back in the win over Albania.

“I have a lot of trust in Jarell,” Tuchel said (via the Daily Mail). “I see his talent, but I see the package. He is tall, he is fast, he is strong in build-up. He is strong in the air.

“I saw him very strong playing for Liverpool in this position, so I always wanted to try. And he plays every minute for Bayer Leverkusen since the under-21 Euros.

“So he is at the moment a tiny bit ahead.”

Tuchel revealed that he will be travelling to Madrid to visit and speak with the former Liverpool ace, alongside Jude Bellingham, whom he unnecessarily put in the spotlight again this week.

Alexander-Arnold now has to treat this period as a reset.

The move to Madrid was always going to require an adjustment, but the injuries and slow start have left him playing catch-up at precisely the wrong moment.

Still, with months to go before the World Cup, the door is far from closed.

He has ample time to regain sharpness, acclimatise to Xabi Alonso’s system, and mount a real challenge for a starting berth, especially with Fede Valverde currently occupying the role he covets.

If he can find rhythm and consistency, his quality will inevitably shine through, and he will be well-placed to reclaim his England spot by overtaking Quansah in the Three Lions set-up.