Gareth Southgate teases big England change for Trent Alexander-Arnold

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Gareth Southgate teases big England change for Trent Alexander-Arnold

England manager Gareth Southgate has hinted he could use Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold in a midfield role against Malta on Friday.

Alexander-Arnold has often struggled for minutes on the international stage but forced his way into this summer's setup with an outstanding end to the Premier League campaign, racking up seven assists and a goal in his final ten games.

Key to Alexander-Arnold's resurgence was a tactical shift from manager Jurgen Klopp, who used the 24-year-old in more of an inverted role which allowed him to get forward in midfield, and the results were not lost on Southgate.

Asked whether he could use Alexander-Arnold in midfield against Malta, a grinning Southgate responded: "Well, let’s see! You know that I think he is more than capable of playing there and it can be really exciting.

"If we were to do that, we would not be expecting perfection because there is a lot to learn, particularly without the ball. It is different areas of the pitch.

"With the ball, that is a more straightforward transition for him now. He has been playing there a little bit more for his club so it is something for us to consider, definitely."

Last month, Southgate hit back at claims his relationship with Alexander-Arnold was rocky and insisted he is well aware of what the Liverpool man brings on the pitch.

"The reason for the conversation was that I felt it was good to chat to him about what he is doing, about how I see it, how he sees it, what it might become," Southgate explained in May. "Contrary to what might be the mood music - I have a really good relationship with him and we talk a lot about his game, football.

"I’ve always recognised his qualities as a player but he’s just been bloody unlucky that we’ve got [Kyle] Walker, who has just had three of the best games I’ve seen from a right-back, Trippier who has probably been one of the outstanding players this season, Reece James also.

"So that has been difficult and England won’t have been as fulfilling because he has unbelievable experiences with Liverpool and we haven’t been able to give him the same. But that doesn’t mean I don’t think he is a bloody good footballer and you’d like to find a way of it working because of his talents.

"That’s why I felt it was important to call him as I have done in the past. As to what his best position is, who knows moving forward. We shouldn’t be sitting here saying he is a midfielder now because we have a glimpse of that but there’s a lot