Trent divides opinion... but he's too good to be a bit-part player

IT is almost six years to the day since Trent Alexander-Arnold made his England debut, being handed his first Three Lions jersey by Prince William the day before a friendly against Costa Rica at Elland Road.

- ANDY DUNN

Since then, on the international stage, it has been far from regal progress for one of the most talented players of his generation.

At club level, he has collected winners' medals in the Champions League, the Premier League, the FA Cup, the EFL Cup, the FIFA Club World Cup and the UEFA Super Cup.

The extent of his influence on the Liverpool team of Jurgen Klopp's era cannot be overstated. But four months shy of his 26th birthday, Alexander-Arnold has only 24 England caps.

He has appeared in only two tournament games, both of which were group-stage fixtures taking place after England's qualification for the knockout stages had been confirmed.

To a certain extent, circumstances have conspired against him, an injury keeping him out of the 2021 Euro finals, for example.

And when he was seen exclusively as a right-back, the competition for places in that position was fierce and Gareth Southgate clearly shared the widespread concerns about the Liverpool man's defensive reliability.