Jude Bellingham responds to Trent Alexander-Arnold 'rubbish' in thinly-veiled dig

Liverpool star Trent Alexander-Arnold featured from the start in England's Euro 2024 opener against Serbia in Gelsenkirchen. Gareth Southgate's men emerged victorious with a slender 1-0 win, thanks to an early goal from Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham.

Alexander-Arnold was utilized in midfield by Southgate alongside Declan Rice, and the Liverpool man sparkled in moments without standing out.

That being said, not many England players stood out — Bellingham aside — and Southgate will no doubt demand a more assertive performance from his players in the next group stage game against Denmark on Thursday.

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Bellingham and Alexander-Arnold are very good friends and the pair celebrated Bellingham's goal together. Following the game, the Real Madrid man defended his teammate following Roy Keane and Wayne Rooney's harsh criticisms.

Bellingham told ITV Sport: "He makes it so easy for me because he can control the game so well defensively in that position. I know people talk a lot of rubbish but he's so aggressive with that back-to-goal pressure and it really helped me as well because it meant I got a breather when he went out.

"I think we understand each other well with the ball, he wants to play positive all the time, he wants to play forward all the time. We accept as team-mates who have that kind of quality that we are going to lose the ball and that's fine. We will win it back for each other and we will keep playing. I thought he was brilliant."

Alexander-Arnold lasted 68 minutes against Serbia before being replaced by Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher. Bellingham played for 86 minutes before also getting replaced, with the midfielder making way for Manchester United's Kobbie Mainoo.

Bellingham had a fantastic season at club level with Real Madrid, winning both La Liga and the Champions League while scoring 23 goals in all competitions.

Liverpool.com says: It's good to see Bellingham publicly supporting Alexander-Arnold. There is this odd discourse on social media that Alexander-Arnold is almost like a non-league player who somehow made it to play for England, which is quite clearly nonsense, and it's good that his teammates are defending Southgate's decision to start him in midfield.