Harry Kane's verdict on Trent Alexander-Arnold speaks volumes on Gareth Southgate mistake
Harry Kane summed up another superb performance from Trent Alexander-Arnold after the pair inspired England to victory over Finland.
The Liverpool vice-captain earned yet more plaudits for his display as he was handed his second start at right-back in as many games for the Three Lions. Roy Keane and Ian Wright were left in awe by Alexander-Arnold’s first-half performance at Wembley, with the latter describing his passing as 'beautiful'.
The 25-year-old posed a constant threat but England was unable to break the deadlock before the break. Alexander-Arnold though inevitably played a big part as the hosts eventually found their way.
'I made the wrong decision by joining Liverpool - it was a really big mess'
‘I nearly lost my leg playing for Liverpool before starting new career as a DJ’
The defender played a brilliant first-time pass to Kane for the opener, with the England captain thundering the ball home on the occasion of his 100th cap. He would grab a second around 20 minutes later, with Alexander-Arnold again the architect.
The Liverpool talisman set Noni Madueke away with a superb pass, with the Chelsea forward able to find Kane to tuck away yet another goal for his country. The England captain was full of admiration for Alexander-Arnold after the game as he spoke to ITV Sport.
“Great performance, backed up another top performance he played against Ireland as well,” Kane said of Alexander-Arnold.
“We know what Trent can do when he gets into those pockets and looks forward and has runners in behind, and you saw that today throughout the whole game. Even though it was 0-0 for a while, we were still threatening and looked like the team that was going to break the deadlock.”
Alexander-Arnold will now report back to Liverpool as the Reds return to Premier League action this weekend. Arne Slot’s side will be aiming to extend their perfect record when they take on Nottingham Forest at Anfield.
Liverpool.com says: Another superb display from Alexander-Arnold, and it just goes to show what happens when you put a player in his proper position. It seems Lee Carsley knows how to get the best out of him.
Kane summed it up with his comments, and having Alexander-Arnold inverting from right-back like he does for Liverpool is going to create countless chances for him. It begs the question why Gareth Southgate seemingly never saw that.
Had the former England boss showed more faith in Alexander-Arnold, we could have seen more of these performances in the past, and Kane would almost certainly have had more chances to feed off. At least the message seems to be getting through now.