Gary Lineker slams Thomas Tuchel over ‘really insulting’ England decision with Arsenal star

Gary Lineker has accused Thomas Tuchel of making a ‘really insulting’ decision with his final England squad before the World Cup.

Tuchel named an expanded 35-man squad for the March friendlies against Uruguay and Japan and insisted the international break represented the ‘last chance’ for players to book their spots on the plane.

The England boss called up two uncapped players in Everton midfielder James Garner and Brighton goalkeeper Jason Steele.

There were recalls for Manchester United duo Harry Maguire and Kobbie Mainoo, AC Milan defender Fikayo Tomori, Leeds United striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Tottenham’s Dominic Solanke.

Trent Alexander-Arnold was overlooked, however, and suffered another snub when Tuchel called up Arsenal’s Ben White to replace the injured Jarell Quansah.

Alexander-Arnold left boyhood club Liverpool last summer to join Real Madrid, where he has started to impress after a shaky start to his Bernabeu career.

Lineker believes Tuchel must have a ‘personal’ issue with Alexander-Arnold and says it is ‘really insulting’ that he is behind White in the pecking order.

White has not been involved with England since leaving the Three Lions camp during the 2022 World Cup for personal reasons.

The 27-year-old has not exactly been knocking the door down endlessly this season, only making seven Premier League appearances for leaders Arsenal.

‘You obviously know I’m a big admirer of Trent,’ Lineker said on The Rest is Football podcast. ‘I think there’s something personal, because football-wise, there’s no argument.

‘I can’t see how he can not be in that squad because he has to improve your chances, even if it’s from the bench.

‘So I suspect there’s something that Tuchel does not like about Trent Alexander-Arnold, I’d just be guessing in terms of what it might be, whether it’s his attitude or he thinks he’s not brilliant defensively.

‘There has to be something in that because it makes absolutely no sense. You’ve 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 kind 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 what it is. I don’t know.

‘But I find it quite insulting looking at the players he’s brought in. We talk about the Ben White situation, for example, and he’s not wanted to play for England before.

‘Now I wouldn’t judge him on that because we don’t really know what’s happened in the camp before and his reasons for not playing.

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

White scored his first England goal in the 1-1 draw with Uruguay on Friday night. Tuchel’s side will be hoping for a better result and performance on Tuesday when they face Japan.

A significant section of England fans subjected White to boos during the game and ex-captain Jordan Henderson has vowed to ‘support’ the Arsenal defender.

‘As team-mates we are always there to support,’ Henderson said. ‘I have been through it myself, but that is part and parcel of being an England player.

‘Some of the fans probably don’t even know why they are booing, they listen to what is being said in the media, and a lot of the time what the media says isn’t true.

‘Not many people know the ins and outs of what happened in Qatar and it is for us to deal with internally. Ben has been good since he came back in and we will support him as team-mates.’

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