Liverpool star Trent Alexander-Arnold looks set to start for England in central midfield against Serbia tonight – however, former Manchester United captain Roy Keane is not convinced that he is up to the task.
Primarily a right-back, Alexander-Arnold has played in central midfield on several occasions for Liverpool in the Premier League, where his exquisite passing ability has been put to good use. Despite this, Keane thinks that the 25-year-old will ‘ripped to shreds’ when England play against one of the stronger teams in the competition.
Keane cited Alexander-Arnold’s positioning as his key weakness while playing in the middle of the park. Even in his natural role, defending has never been Alexander-Arnold’s strong point – he has found himself leaving too much space for attacking players on several occasions in the past.
What did Roy Keane say about Liverpool and England star Trent Alexander-Arnold?
When previewing England’s game against Serbia, Keane said [via Football365]: “It’s all about getting the balance right in your team. [England have] got some brilliant individuals, we’ve mentioned that many times before.
“There are four or five players that would walk into any of the teams in this tournament but it’s getting that balance right. Talking about the defensive side of it, they have players who can go and win you football matches but it’s the problem with defending against the better teams.
“I think they’ll be fine in the group, I think Trent will be fine with his positioning in those matches, but it’s against the real top teams that I think he will be found out, very much so.
“In fact, I think he would be ripped to shreds if he plays against one of the better teams in central midfield. I don’t think he’d be up to it.”
