What's Holding Thomas Tuchel Back From Handing Trent Alexander-Arnold His England World Cup Call-Up?

England suffered an injury setback on the eve of its World Cup opener against Croatia after Tino Livramento was forced to withdraw from the squad. Despite the opening, Trent Alexander-Arnold still finds no place in Thomas Tuchel's plans.

Reports on Tuesday confirmed that a fresh hamstring injury was serious enough to end Livramento's tournament entirely, with Trevoh Chalobah named as his replacement in the squad.

Livramento's initial inclusion in England's 26-man squad had raised eyebrows among many, given the defender's ongoing injury concerns and an inconsistent campaign at Newcastle. Nevertheless, his ability to operate on either side of a defensive line was clearly a quality Tuchel held in high regard.

The 23-year-old's departure places greater responsibility on Reece James as the team's primary specialist right back—although Djed Spence, Jarrell Quansah, Ezri Konsa and, now, Chalobah are all capable of filling the role if required.

Why Wasn't Trent Alexander-Arnold Picked?

To many onlookers, Livramento's unfortunate withdrawal might have seemed to hand Tuchel a natural opportunity to reverse one of his more debated squad decisions: the exclusion of Trent Alexander-Arnold.

The Real Madrid right back featured on England's initial 55-man longlist, but was absent from the final 26-man squad Tuchel submitted ahead of the tournament.

For many, Alexander-Arnold remains one of English football's great puzzles: a genuine match-winner with an exceptional passing range, yet also a player susceptible to defensive vulnerabilities.

No England manager has yet appeared to fully solve the riddle of the 27-year-old, who holds 34 senior caps. Gareth Southgate favored the defensive reliability of Kyle Walker and Kieran Trippier at right back, while Tuchel has not selected the two-time Premier League champion since June 2025.

Speaking last August, Tuchel appeared to echo familiar criticism of Alexander-Arnold, telling reporters: "If he wants to have this impact in the English national team, then he has to take the defensive part very, very seriously."

In March, when the right back was once again left out of the squad, Tuchel hinted that he favored a different kind of profile in the fullback position.

"We created a slightly different game model when he [Alexander-Arnold] was not in camp in September, October, November. It was a game model built on intensity, built on positivity, built even in the profile of the right fullback on overlaps on underlaps, very intense," Tuchel said.

Ultimately, it came as little surprise that Tuchel—a manager rarely swayed by reputation—did not alter his stance in the wake of Livramento's injury.

'Tuchel Wants No Fuss'—Harry Maguire

Appearing on The Rest is Football, Harry Maguire—another defender omitted from Tuchel's summer plans—suggested the manager's main concern when choosing Livramento's replacement was maintaining a settled camp ahead of the World Cup group stage clash with Croatia on Wednesday.

"When someone drops out like that, I do believe (with) the squad, you want to call up somebody with a minimum of fuss, no real media attention or disruption to the camp," Maguire said.

"I don't think Trent would've ever been called up because the questions and everything will be about him. If it's a big game, it's about Croatia.

"If he called me up, it [the questions] would be about me, Luke Shaw the same, we've been to tournaments and play for big clubs, that's what you want when you bring someone up on standby.

"Congratulations to Trevoh, I hope he has an impact on the squad."

What Does Trevoh Chalobah Bring to the England Team?

Rather than risk the potential disruption of a high-profile wildcard like Alexander-Arnold, Tuchel has opted for the dependability and flexibility of Chalobah—a player whose emergence at Chelsea came under his management.

Addressing his selection decision ahead of the Croatia fixture, Tuchel explained the positional roles he envisions for his defensive options.

He told reporters: "We called Trevoh Chalobah because then we free up Jarell Quansah as fullback on both sides and Djed Spence can play both sides as fullback, so Trevoh comes as a center back alternative and gives us full coverage in the back four."

Chalobah, 26, made 47 appearances for Chelsea in 2025–26, predominantly at center back—though he has occasionally featured at right back and even in defensive midfield. He currently holds one senior England cap.