Why Has Thomas Tuchel Still Not Called Up Trent Alexander-Arnold to England's World Cup Roster?
England was dealt an injury blow on the eve its World Cup opener against Croatia with the news that Tino Livramento had withdrawn from the roster. However, there is still no place for Trent Alexander-Arnold in Thomas Tuchel's setup.
On Tuesday, it was reported that a new hamstring injury has been deemed severe enough to rule Livramento out of England's campaign entirely and he has now been replaced in the roster by Trevoh Chalobah.
Livramento's original inclusion in England's 26-man roster was eyebrow-raising for many, owing to the defender's persistent injury issues and inconsistent season at Newcastle. However the defender's ability to play on both sides of a backline was clearly highly valued by Tuchel.
The 23-year-old's exit from the roster puts more of a burden on Reece James as the team's standout specialist right back-though Djed Spence, Jarrell Quansah, Ezri Konsa and, now, Chalobah can also cover the position if needed.
Why Wasn't Trent Alexander-Arnold Picked?
To outside observers, Livramento's unfortunate injury might have appeared to offer Tuchel an obvious chance to U-turn on one of his more controversial roster omissions: Trent Alexander-Arnold.
The Real Madrid right back was named on England's initial 55-man preliminary list, but not on the final 26-man roster submitted by Tuchel ahead of the tournament.
To many, Alexander-Arnold remains one of English soccer's great enigmas: a genuine game-changer with a near-unparalleled range of passing, while also a player prone to defensive lapses.
No England manager yet has seemingly known what to do with the 27-year-old, who has 34 senior caps. Gareth Southgate preferred Kyle Walker and Kieran Trippier's defensive solidity at right back, while Tuchel has not picked the two-time Premier League winner since June 2025.
Speaking last August, Tuchel appeared to level at familiar criticism at Alexander-Arnold as he told reporters: "If he wants to have this impact in the English national team, then he has to take the defensive part very, very seriously."
In March, when the right back was again omitted from selection, Tuchel intimated that he preferred a different type of profile at fullback.
"We created a slightly different game model when he [Alexander-Arnold] was not in camp in September, October, November. It was a game model built on intensity, built on positivity, built even in the profile of the right fullback on overlaps on underlaps, very intense," Tuchel said.
In the end, it was no great surprise that Tuchel, who has been undazzled by star power, did not change his tune despite Livramento's injury.
‘Tuchel Wants No Fuss'-Harry Maguire
Speaking on The Rest is Football, Harry Maguire-another defender left out of Tuchel's plans this summer-suggested the manager's priority when selecting Livramento's replacement was a calm camp ahead of the World Cup group stage opener against Croatia on Wednesday.
"When someone drops out like that, I do believe (with) the squad, you want to call up somebody with a minimum of fuss, no real media attention or disruption to the camp," Maguire said.
"I don't think Trent would've ever been called up because the questions and everything will be about him. If it's a big game, it's about Croatia.
"If he called me up, it [the questions] would be about me, Luke Shaw the same, we've been to tournaments and play for big clubs, that's what you want when you bring someone up on standby.
"Congratulations to Trevoh, I hope he has an impact on the squad."
What Does Trevoh Chalobah Bring to the England Team?
Instead of the potential disruption of an eye-catching wildcard like Alexander-Arnold, Tuchel has instead plumped for the stability and versatility of Chalobah-a player whose breakthrough at Chelsea came under his watch.
Addressing his pick ahead of the Croatia game, Tuchel outlined the roles he sees his defenders fulfilling positionally.
He told reporters: "We called Trevoh Chalobah because then we free up Jarell Quansah as fullback on both sides and Djed Spence can play both sides as fullback, so Trevoh comes as a center back alternative and gives us full coverage in the back four."
Chalobah, 26, made 47 appearances for Chelsea in 2025–26, mostly at center back-though he has on occasion featured at right back and even defensive midfield. He has one England senior cap to date.
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This story was originally published June 17, 2026 at 7:00 AM.