The awkward conversation Thomas Tuchel must have with Trent Alexander-Arnold | OneFootball

England’s right-back was at Liverpool last season but has since moved abroad. No, not Trent Alexander-Arnold. It may seem another slight to the Merseysider with the aspirations of winning the Ballon d’Or that the man in the No 2 shirt in Tirana was Liverpool’s third choice in the position last season. Or, indeed, that Thomas Tuchel described Jarell Quansah as being ahead of him at the moment.

“I have a lot of trust in Jarell,” said the England manager. “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 [right-back]. 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.”

In reality, Quansah’s outings at right-back were rarities in his time at Anfield. One came in the Carabao Cup final, another in the 3-3 draw at Newcastle but, had Alexander-Arnold remained fit for all of last season, the younger man may not have played a game there. Nor, even is Quansah the only Anfield youth product to play right-back for Tuchel’s England – midfielder Curtis Jones did against Andorra in June.

Now Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden have been recalled, Alexander-Arnold is the most prominent omission from the England squad. It can feel across the autumn that Tuchel has settled on a squad, even identifying understudies. With Reece James rested against Albania on Sunday and Tino Livramento and Ezri Konsa both injured, Quansah got the nod.

It might appear a particularly unsubtle way of delivering Alexander-Arnold a message: a generational talent may be England’s fifth-, sixth- or even seventh-choice right-back. Tuchel will nevertheless look for another way to appraise him of his thinking – preferably in person, otherwise via a screen. This is his task for winter.

“It’s my job now to make contact with everyone, players like Trent,” he said. “Players that are on our longlist, 55, 60 players, to reach out to them, be in touch with them, explain to them why they were not here. Explain to them what they have to do, where they can improve, can they even do something or is it just a choice. So this is my job in the next weeks and months.”

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Thomas Tuchel may need to have an awkward conversation with Tren Alexander-Arnold (PA)

It could take some time. Tuchel has capped 40 players so far; even beyond that, James Trafford and Alex Scott were called up for the November games but are yet to make their international debuts. Then there are those he has discarded, including not just Alexander-Arnold and Jones but players such as Kyle Walker and Conor Gallagher while more recent omissions include Ollie Watkins, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Morgan Gibbs-White and Ruben Loftus-Cheek. Some, at least, could think that Tuchel has moved on in his plans.

Now Tuchel may have to indicate where they rank in his assortment of 55 or 60 players and what their chances are of making the World Cup. It will involve contacting players in several countries and those up and down the Premier League. It could make for a lot of phone calls.

“Yeah, and I hate phone calls,” he said. “Better on FaceTime. Then I see the expression, at least, and get a feeling for the person. Or I need to visit them, visit training grounds.” Real Madrid’s is at least near Spain’s busiest airport, but still not the most convenient for a Bavarian with a base in London.

Will he visit Alexander-Arnold in Spain? “Why would I not?” Tuchel countered. The presence of Bellingham, another player Tuchel has famously dropped – albeit then recalled – gives another reason to go to Madrid. The personal touch may be required in some more delicate conversations.

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The Jude Bellingham-Thomas Tuchel relationship hit another obstacle against Albania (Getty Images)

“We can do group visits,” Tuchel added. “We can do Jude and Trent. And visit the clubs. And some of them we will call. I think it’s important that I reach out to everyone, even to the guys we didn’t pick so regularly to tell them where they are and give them honest feedback.”

Sometimes Tuchel’s honesty can be of the blunt variety. A charismatic communicator can also be a direct one. One way or another, however, he will have to deliver bad news to approximately half of his longlist: they will not be going to the World Cup.

The hints have been there for Alexander-Arnold for a while. Tuchel initially seemed to put him behind Walker in the pecking order, until the June defeat to Senegal laid bare the veteran’s decline. In Jones and Quansah, there have been old Liverpool teammates who have played out of position in Alexander-Arnold’s stead. Now Tuchel has four months to reconsider and to explain. But whether in person or over FaceTime, Alexander-Arnold may have to brace himself for bad news.