Roy Keane is wrong again with lazy Trent Alexander-Arnold dig and Liverpool knows exactly why

Roy Keane is at it again. Not content with one lazy dig at Trent Alexander-Arnold this season, the former Manchester United captain has doubled down on his harsh verdict on the Liverpool talisman.

Alexander-Arnold looks set to head off to another international tournament this summer, having been named in England's provisional squad for Euro 2024. Chances are, he will make the final cut for the 26-man traveling party to Germany.

Gareth Southgate has named the 25-year-old as a midfielder in his squad. Although that goes against what Alexander-Arnold is used to at Liverpool, and indeed what Jürgen Klopp has insisted is his best position over the years, it does offer up a tantalizing prospect for the Three Lions.

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Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham are dead certs to start in England's midfield at the tournament, it's just a question of who joins them in the engine room. Adding Alexander-Arnold, who has shone in his last few appearances in midfield for his country, would make for arguably the most exciting midfield on show this summer.

Keane though is having none of it. Forget the fact that there's a clear opportunity to bring three of England's most talented players together, the former midfielder-turned-pundit thinks Southgate should snub Alexander-Arnold once again this summer.

“You can’t play him [Alexander-Arnold] in there [midfield] against one of the top teams,” Keane told the Stick to Football podcast. “In one or two of the group matches you get away with it, but if you play Trent in there against one of the top nations, defensive side of the game we are talking about, he can’t defend.

“I think [Declan] Rice has got enough about him, he’s played a lot of games, I’d have no problem of Rice as your option, the sitting role. I’d still be worried as a two [man midfield] — I think Trent against the real top teams — the French or Germany, whatever it might be, in the knock-out games, if you are playing Trent in there [center midfield], defensively — he can’t defend!

“In midfield, you have to defend in midfield. I don’t think he’s got — defensively he dangles his leg in, look back at the Everton game - he’s not aggressive in defensive situations.

“On the ball I love him, absolutely love him, but at that level we are talking about, the knockout games, England will obviously get through the group, but the knock-out games, if Trent gets in there and gets asked to do a defensive job for England against a really good team [he’ll struggle].”

To put it bluntly, Keane is talking absolute nonsense. Trying to argue that Alexander-Arnold can't perform in big knockout games is ignoring pretty much the whole of his career, in which he has helped Liverpool to countless finals, and helped the Reds win the Champions League, FA Cup and League Cup.

Once again, the deeply tedious 'Trent can't defend' argument is trotted out to try and justify Alexander-Arnold not starting for England. After years of being told by pundits that he should be playing in midfield, now we're being told why he shouldn't be playing at all.

So, why is it Keane is so eager to tell us how ‘bad’ Alexander-Arnold is at defending? And why are so many other pundits fixated on this aspect of his game? To put it as bluntly as the former Manchester United captain, there’s a simple explanation for it — laziness.

When Keane first emerged as a pundit, his no-nonsense attitude was something of a breath of fresh air amid a lot of the waffle we get from other so-called experts. Now though, the 52-year-old has become a parody of himself, barely offering any sort of insight as he snarls his way through his ‘analysis’.

Is it by design? Probably. Keane has become one of the most sought-after pundits, regularly appearing alongside former teammate Gary Neville on Sky Sports and now his Stick To Football podcast, where he first trotted out that most tedious of ‘hot takes’ on Alexander-Arnold earlier in the year.

"I can’t believe how bad [Trent Alexander-Arnold] is at defending,” Keane said back in January. “For a guy that’s played a lot of games in defense, it’s like he’s never played the position before. How bad he is at defending, it’s amazing when people just run past him."

His comments were rightfully shut down by Ian Wright, who rendered it “such a redundant argument." Considering the success Liverpool has had with Alexander-Arnold over the years, the former Arsenal man is one of the few pundits to get it absolutely spot on.

Alexander-Arnold’s defending is nowhere near the problem that Keane would have you believe. If it was, Jürgen Klopp would have moved him out away from right-back before he departed as Liverpool boss.

Instead, the German stood steadfastly by his superstar. Yes, his role was tweaked to get him into midfield more, but Klopp never had any doubt about his defensive capabilities.

In any case, that is nowhere near a good enough reason for Southgate to not start Alexander-Arnold in midfield this summer. The England boss has the chance to put together a quite sensational midfield trio, and he shouldn't let negativity get in the way of that.

Keane might not be able to believe it, but Liverpool has had plenty of success with Alexander-Arnold, and he will no doubt taste even more during his career. Maybe it’s time for the former United captain and others to put away the tired old debate, and actually put some more thought into their critiques.

An original version of this article was first published on January 18. It has since been updated.