Matthew Upson has questioned the future of Liverpool star Alexander-Arnold in midfield for England.
Despite having more natural options at his disposal – including the likes of Kobbie Mainoo, Adam Wharton, and Conor Gallagher, Gareth Southgate chose to deploy Alexander-Arnold in the middle of the park alongside Declan Rice for the Three Lions’ narrow 1-0 win over Serbia.
While he adopts a hybrid role for the Reds, Alexander-Arnold doesn’t have extensive experience playing there at club level. Upson is cautiously optimistic about his potential in the position, but insists the jury remains out ahead of England’s next match against Denmark.
Speaking to the Mirror, via Luckyblock.com, he said:
“I think persisting with [the Alexander-Arnold experiment] at this stage is okay. I think he did well. There’s a lot of things he does well. We know how good a player he is. It’s just at the level that the amount of minutes that you he has played in that position is so tiny.
“And it’s almost like you have an instinct or a second nature. Decisions that happen on the pitch; it’s almost not a thought process. It’s just an instinct. Players like Rice have done thousands of minutes now playing that role.
“Week in, week out, knows every scenario, knows that when he loses the ball there, he’s got to get there. When the ball goes over his head on that angle, he fills in that hole, it’s like an onboard computer.
“And that’s my only concern in that he hasn’t had that exposure to that position. I think it’s exciting and interesting to see where it will go with him, but we’re in the very early stages of him playing those minutes. I think that’s the biggest question mark as England hopefully get through the group stage.”
England are in pole position in Group C after Denmark were held to a 1-1 draw with Slovenia. A second successive victory would see them through to the knockouts.
One player who stood out for Upson, who won 21 caps including at the 2010 World Cup, was Harry Maguire’s replacement.
“I think Marc Guehi’s surpassed expectations,” he added.
“I thought he was brilliant [against Serbia]. Really solid game. A lot of chat, especially around the defensive situation and people feeling a bit edgy about it.
“I thought he was very reassuring, calm and very put-together. No errors at all, he was competitive, physical. He had a great evening. That was a big plus point in terms of individual performance.”
When asked if Crystal Palace star Guehi had shown the signs he’s ready to take over from Maguire, 31, in the long term, Upson replied:
“Based on that performance, yeah. I think he’s been in and around the squad now for a good period of time, coming in and out of games whenever [John] Stones or Maguire isn’t available.
“I think he’s built into it nicely. He’s played in a couple of tricky fixtures, one away in Poland against Ukraine. A tough game, tough atmosphere, [but] he came through that. So he’s had those experiences to have that confidence and perform the way he did. Big credit to him.”
