Real Madrid defender given World Cup hope after inclusion in preliminary squad by national team manager | OneFootball

As the club football season nears its end, the hype and anticipation for the FIFA World Cup begin to take over.

The event is set to begin in less than a month, and national teams across the globe have begun releasing their preliminary squad lists for the tournament.

Earlier this week, England also released Thomas Tuchel’s preliminary squad for the World Cup, and Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham unsurprisingly made the cut.

Also in the list is his Real Madrid teammate Trent Alexander-Arnold whose inclusion has come as quite a surprise.

Back in the mix

Indeed, as reported by Mundo Deportivo, Trent’s return to the Three Lions’ squad has come as a surprise for many fans across the globe, especially given how he was not a part of Tuchel’s squad in recent international breaks.

The Real Madrid defender did not even enter the list for England’s games against Uruguay and Japan in March and was expected to possibly miss the World Cup as Tuchel had several options above him.

Could Trent go to the World Cup? (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

Injuries to Newcastle United’s Tino Livramento and Arsenal’s Ben White, however, have handed Trent a route back into the World Cup squad.

Needless to say, however, it still does not imply that he will make the final squad or, if he does, go on to be a starter as Reece James continues to be above him on the manager’s pecking order. 

The current provisional list includes 55 players and will be trimmed down to 26 names when Tuchel announces his final list on May 22. It remains to be seen if Trent continues to be on the list after that amendment.

So far this season, Trent has made just 13 starts for Real Madrid in La Liga and has four assists to his name. Fitness struggles largely limited his participation, although he has managed to stay fit and grow into the manager’s plans in recent weeks.