Beckham issues verdict on Alexander-Arnold snub; England backed for World Cup – ‘I’d find it very hard’ | OneFootball

David Beckham has issued a verdict on head coach Thomas Tuchel leaving Trent Alexander-Arnold out of his England squad.

Tuchel has not been afraid to make brutal decisions since replacing Gareth Southgate as England’s manager, and his latest has seen him leave Real Madrid star Alexander-Arnold out of his latest squad.

Alexander-Arnold has had a mixed debut season since joining Real Madrid from Liverpool, but he would have expected to be named in the latest England squad, with Tuchel including 35 players.

However, Tuchel instead opted for Tino Livramento, Djed Spence and Ezri Konsa, with Wayne Rooney baffingly blaming Jude Bellingham for the Alexander-Arnold situation.

But Beckham has reserved praise for Alexander-Arnold, insisting he “loves” the right-back.

“That’s why I’m not England manager, because I don’t have to make those decisions!” Beckham told talkSPORT about Tuchel snubbing Alexander-Arnold.

“But, I’m a massive fan of Trent, I love Trent as a player.”

Beckham has also admitted that he would find it difficult to leave Alexander-Arnold out of his squad if he was in Tuchel’s position.

“I’ve heard so many times over the years when he was at Liverpool, when he’s at Madrid, when he’s playing for England, about, ‘Well, he’s not as good at defending as he is (attacking)’,” Beckham added.

“Well, sometimes you have to accept that… Roberto Carlos was an unbelievable defender, but he was also unbelievable going forward.

“He’d always go forward, and then we’d have to cover him, so those kind of things you expect. But with Trent, would I take him? I’d find it very hard not to take someone like Trent.”

Beckham has also spoken on England’s chances at this summer’s World Cup and has emphatically backed them to win the tournament.

“I think we’re in the best place that we can be, in all honesty,” Beckham added on England winning the World Cup.

“”I think we’ve got a very young, talented squad with a great captain leading us in the best of form, probably, of his life with Harry (Kane).

“Obviously, he’s a great leader, and I think Thomas is so meticulous with how he picks the squad, how he runs the squad.

“He’s obviously had past success in the game, but I think that what he brings is how meticulous he will be with every single detail that the England team actually need to perform in this World Cup.

“I think the players will respond to him because he is a top manager, and I think the way he handles the players, the players will respect, and I think they will react in the right way.

“In my opinion, he’ll not be pressured into picking players that people are trying to get him to pick. He’ll pick the team that he thinks will win this World Cup, and I’m looking forward to it, I’m excited about it.”

And when asked whether England can win the World Cup, Beckham responded: “Absolutely.”