Gary Lineker has suggested there might be a personal issue influencing Thomas Tuchel’s decision to exclude Trent Alexander-Arnold from the recent England squad. According to Lineker, this personal conflict could explain why Alexander-Arnold was overlooked by the England head coach.

The exclusion of Alexander-Arnold came as a surprise to many, especially with Ben White being chosen over the Real Madrid defender for the 35-man roster during the ongoing international break. White’s inclusion came after he stepped in for the injured Jarell Quansah, and he marked his return to the national team by scoring his first international goal in England’s 1-1 draw against Uruguay at Wembley last week.

During an episode of ‘The Rest is Football’ podcast, Lineker expressed his admiration for Alexander-Arnold and speculated that the reason for his exclusion might be personal. “There’s no football-related reason that justifies leaving him out,” said Lineker. “Even if he’s not starting, having him on the bench would enhance the team’s chances.”

Lineker further speculated that Tuchel might have reservations about Alexander-Arnold, possibly related to his attitude or defensive capabilities. “There has to be something Tuchel isn’t fond of regarding Trent, as it simply doesn’t add up otherwise,” he remarked.

Alexander-Arnold is facing stiff competition for a place in the national team, with players like Tino Livramento and Djed Spence currently being favored. Tuchel has described this squad selection as the ‘final opportunity’ for players to secure their spots for the upcoming World Cup in the summer.

Gary Lineker believes Thomas Tuchel (right) has a personal issue with Trent Alexander-Arnold (left)

Lineker said that it was ‘really insulting’ to Alexander-Arnold that Ben White was picked ahead of him in the latest England squad

Alexander-Arnold is behind a plethora of talent in the bid for an England spot, with the likes of Tino Livramento and Djed Spence being selected in front of him for the latest squad, which Tuchel deemed as the ‘last chance’ for players to seal a spot on the plane for the World Cup in the summer.

Chelsea captain Reece James, who missed the latest squad through injury, is also likely to be ahead of the former Liverpool man in the fight for the starting right-back spot.

Lineker added: ‘You got players playing in his position, with all due respect, that are not in the same league as him, certainly with the ball at his feet.

‘As you saw in these kinds of games, you need someone with a bit of magic to unlock things, and he will provide you that. So it doesn’t make sense to me. I don’t know whether it’s his attitude or whatever it is, I don’t know.

‘But I find it also quite insulting bringing players in. We talk about the Ben White situation, for example, here. He’s not wanted to play for England. I wouldn’t judge him on that because we don’t really know what exactly happened in the camp and his reasons for not playing.

‘The players do within the squad, and you know there were talks about big fall-outs and him not being treated very well, you know, and then Tuchel says he’s called him up, he’s brought him in.

‘That’s fine, but I can’t see how he can still be ahead of Trent Alexander-Arnold. I think that it’s really insulting to a seriously top full-back. So that’s my view.’

Following his exclusion from the latest England squad, Alexander-Arnold took to Instagram with the message ‘Madrid. Y nada mas’, which translates to ‘Madrid. And nothing else’.

Tuchel was asked for his views on the post by ITV ahead of England’s friendly against Uruguay, and was empathetic of Alexander-Arnold’s position.

‘As a response to not being nominated?’ Tuchel asked when made aware of the full back’s post. ‘Well, fair enough, fair enough.

‘I think it is a very hard decision that we took. No doubt about his talent, no doubt about his career, and what he can give to teams.

‘We created a slightly different game model when he was not in camp in September, October, November – it was a game model that was built on intensity and positivity, built even on the profile of the right full back on overlaps, underlaps, very intense.

‘It was a slightly different profile of players in camp who performed so well. We just stick to these guys.’

Tuchel’s Three Lions play their second and final friendly of the international break against Japan at Wembley on Tuesday night.