No contact, no World Cup place? What went wrong for Alexander-Arnold?

Trent Alexander-Arnold’s omission from Thomas Tuchel’s 35-man England squad for the March friendlies against Uruguay and Japan has left the 27-year-old facing the very real prospect of missing this summer’s World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico.

The Real Madrid right-back, capped 34 times, has now been left out of four consecutive squads and has featured in only one of Tuchel’s ten matches since the German took charge. Despite Reece James’s enforced absence through injury and the international retirements of Kyle Walker and Kieran Trippier, Alexander-Arnold was not recalled, with Tuchel instead placing his faith in Jarrell Quansah, Djed Spence, Tino Livramento and Ezri Konsa.

“I have not yet spoken to Trent,” Tuchel confirmed on Friday. “It is a sporting decision that we stick with Quansah, Livramento and Spence, who all can play in camp at right full-back. Players have to push for their World Cup ticket.”

Tuchel, who has built his England defence around pace, aerial dominance and physicality, praised the quartet ahead of Alexander-Arnold, citing “evidence” from the strong performances of September, October and November. Quansah, a former Liverpool team-mate of Alexander-Arnold, is “a tiny bit ahead” because he is “tall, fast, strong in build-up and strong in the air,” the manager said last year.

Alexander-Arnold’s last cap came as a substitute in a 1-0 win over Andorra, when Curtis Jones started at right-back. His only sustained run in the side arrived under interim boss Lee Carsley, when he started four straight Nations League fixtures, scored a free-kick in Helsinki against Finland and helped secure promotion to the top tier before a hamstring injury ended that sequence.

Since then, a high-profile transfer to Real Madrid has failed to ignite. Hamstring and thigh injuries restricted him to barely half a season, and although he started Champions League knockout ties against Benfica and Manchester City, he is still regaining full sharpness under new Madrid manager Álvaro Arbeloa, who is “proceeding cautiously” with the defender’s reintegration.

Tuchel, long an admirer of Alexander-Arnold’s offensive gifts, has questioned the defensive discipline that underpins his system. “It’s not what Trent cannot offer us,” he stressed. “I know very well what he can give. I suffered when he played against my teams with Liverpool.” Yet the coach has opted for players he feels better suit the aggressive, robust profile he wants in the States this summer.

When asked whether Alexander-Arnold’s World Cup dream is over, Tuchel replied: “No. I know it is a tough decision for Trent. These tough decisions come with the job.”

But with time running out before the final squad is named and at least five rivals now ahead of him, Alexander-Arnold faces an uphill battle to force his way back into contention and avoid becoming the most notable English absentee when the Three Lions attempt to lift the trophy for the first time since 1966.