Beckham "surprised" by Real Madrid star's exclusion

Beckham "surprised" by Real Madrid star's exclusion

 David Beckham, the former England star and current co-owner of Inter Miami, expressed his surprise at the exclusion of Real Madrid defender Trent Alexander-Arnold from the England squad for the current international break.

Alexander-Arnold was left out of the squad selected by England manager Thomas Tuchel for the friendlies against Uruguay and Japan. Beckham told talkSPORT that he is confident Alexander-Arnold can convince Tuchel to include him in the squad for the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Mexico, and Canada.

He added: "That's why I'm not the England manager. I can't make those kinds of decisions. But I'm a big admirer of Trent Alexander-Arnold. I love him as a player. He's done so much throughout his time at Liverpool and now at Real Madrid, as well as when he played for the national team. I've heard many people say that he can't be as effective defensively as he is offensively."

He explained: "Sometimes you have to accept that. Roberto Carlos was a fantastic defender, but he was also fantastic offensively. He was always attacking, and we had to cover for him, so these things are to be expected." England are in Group L at the World Cup, alongside Croatia, Ghana, and Panama.

The former Manchester United and Real Madrid star said: "Will I include him in the World Cup squad? It would be very difficult not to include a player like him, but it seems Thomas Tuchel sees Trent as lagging behind other players. Tuchel has said this for now, which means things could change and a final decision should be made soon, but I think Tuchel still wants to include Trent."