Klopp 'didn't understand' Southgate's Alexander-Arnold snub
Apr 03, 2021
Liverpool [UK], April 3 : Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has admitted that he "didn't understand" Gareth Southgate's decision to leave Trent Alexander-Arnold out of England's latest squad.
Alexander-Arnold was dropped from the recent World Cup qualifiers against San Marino, Albania and Poland, with Southgate suggesting the 22-year-old's club form had fallen short of its usual standards this season.
England were unbeaten in all three games of the World Cup qualifiers.
"I am a manager myself. I make decisions every day, every weekend, every midweek about team selections and squad selections. We always make decisions that other people probably do not understand. I respect that Gareth makes his own decisions, of course, but I didn't understand it because Trent Alexander-Arnold was in the last two seasons at least, let me say the season before and the season before that, the stand-out right-back in world football. That is the truth and at an unbelievable young age," Goal.com quoted Klopp as saying.
"I have no problem if my players get some criticism. They can get it from me, they can get it from other people, but that is the truth. He was the stand-out right-back in world football," he added.
Klopp said that Alexander-Arnold's omission will benefit Liverpool in the season.
"Of course. He was not with the national team, so he had time to train. He trained at an extremely high level and he showed a reaction when there is no need to do so. He was really 'in' the sessions so that was good. He enjoyed the sessions a lot," Klopp said.
Alexander-Arnold has won 12 caps for his country since making his senior debut in June 2018, but now faces an uphill battle to secure a place at this summer's European Championships.
"He is a very ambitious boy, so I am sure he wants to be in the England squad. I know he wants to be in the England squad and he will try everything to be there again," Klopp said.
