Gary Lineker nails it with simple observation about Liverpool star Trent Alexander-Arnold

Liverpool No. 66 Trent Alexander-Arnold is expected to be taken out of the England starting XI on Tuesday evening as Gareth Southgate looks to change things up against Slovenia.

Having been criticized so far for lacking creativity, the Three Lions are hoping that Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher can somehow provide the spark that Alexander-Arnold couldn't, with the midfield experiment backfiring so far. But Gary Lineker has hit out at Southgate for his treatment of the Liverpool star.

Lineker says that Alexander-Arnold has been 'hung out to dry' by his international manager. Rather than properly trialing the new way of playing in advance, England has expected the Liverpool fullback to adjust while playing on the European Championship stage.

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That has led to criticism of his performances despite Alexander-Arnold having not played the position regularly since he was a youth player at Liverpool more than seven seasons ago. In addition, Phil Foden has been marooned out on the left flank and Harry Kane has been anonymous, while Kieran Trippier, a right-footed player, has not looked like a natural left-back.

"I do feel a bit for Trent Alexander-Arnold," Match of the Day presenter Lineker said on the BBC's Euros Extra show. "It’s very hard to play in a new position even when a team’s playing well. But when a team’s struggling and a team’s disjointed, not together and not getting up the pitch, it becomes very difficult. I do feel for him because he’s an unbelievably talented player."

Liverpool.com says: Lineker is correct, of course. Throwing Alexander-Arnold into a new role sets him up perfectly to be a scapegoat when things inevitably unravel for England.

Even heading into the tournament before a ball was kicked, there was a narrative that Alexander-Arnold would be unable to play the position against the better sides. In reality, there are bigger problems with England than its most creative player supposedly being unable to defend.