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Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold has acknowledged his England career so far “could have gone better”.
The 23-year-old has starred at club level as part of a team who have won Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, FIFA Club World Cup and Premier League titles in the past few years.
Speaking to ITV Sport, Alexander-Arnold revealed he expected to have played more games for his country and feels there is a lot more to come from him in an England shirt.
When asked about how he feels about his international career so far, Alexander-Arnold said “It’s a mix really. I’m grateful for all the opportunities I’ve had, I’ve been to a World Cup, played in games, so that’s amazing.
“But at the same time, there’s something inside me that tells me that in my mind it could have gone better for me personally.
“If I’m being selfish, I expect myself to play more games, to have been involved a bit more and there’s a lot more to be unlocked.
“It’s two very different roles at club and country. Different responsibilities, different personnel and different tactics. Adjustments have to be made between club and country, and I’ve probably just struggled with doing that, I would say.”
After scoring a free-kick in Liverpool’s recent 3-2 defeat at West Ham, Alexander-Arnold now has 45 Premier League goal involvements (nine goals, 36 assists), the joint-most by any defender for the Anfield club in the competition, level with John Arne Riise.
But Alexander-Arnold has failed to contribute a goal involvement for England in 2022 World Cup qualifying prior to Monday’s game against San Marino, restricted to a mere 103 minutes across the campaign.
The Liverpool man was utilised in midfield by Southgate for England’s 4-0 win at home to Andorra in September, but was moved back to his usual right-back role in the second half.
“Okay. It’s an exciting thought,” he said about being played in the middle. “I always found myself in there anyway within a game, I drift into there [from right-back] and it was natural.
“I think that was what went wrong in that first half was being in there already, standing in there and trying to find space rather than going in there unexpectedly and confusing the opposition, and feeling the freedom to drift in there whenever I thought it was right.
“I don’t like to put limitations on myself, but as of right now my main focus is trying to nail down the right-back spot.
“I have the talent and I should have the performances to make sure I’m in that squad [for Qatar 2022], and if I don’t then it’s only me who can be blamed for that.”
