Gary Neville has blasted Gareth Southgate’s use of Liverpool talisman Trent Alexander-Arnold.
At half-time in the European Championship last-16 clash with Slovakia, the former Manchester United defender didn’t hold back with his criticism.
England were 1-0 down at the break and had left Alexander-Arnold on the bench, selecting Kieran Trippier and Kyle Walker at full-back ahead of the Liverpool number 66. But without any creativity or attacking flair, it was looking like a major error.
“Southgate has got to rip up the script,” Neville said live on ITV Sport at the break.
“We tried to be really positive pre-match, thinking that this would be the game that this England team would turn, but he’s got to twist.
“I don’t think it’s a case of one substitute. I think he has got to get three on. I think we have to see Cole Palmer, we have to see Trent, and we have to see Anthony Gordon. He has got to shift the whole narrative.
“Trent Alexander-Arnold, it is illegal that lad is not playing football in a game like this for England. We can’t have Kyle Walker and Kieran Trippier at left and right back when we’re on the ball most of the time.
“That kid [Trent] is the best football player we’ve ever seen at full-back in this country. He has got to be on the pitch.”
Ian Wright and Roy Keane both agreed that England needed a dramatic improvement. But without the creative prowess of Alexander-Arnold that Liverpool has seen so often, that might be a struggle.
