Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has hit back at Gary Neville after the former Manchester United captain said Trent Alexander-Arnold could cost England in a knockout game in the World Cup.
The 24-year-old was picked in England’s World Cup squad on Thursday but before the announcement, Neville doubted whether Gareth Southgate could trust the defender at the tournament after he was fortunate not to concede a penalty in Liverpool’s 2-1 win at Tottenham Hotspur.
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“In this moment in time, I can’t see how Gareth can go into a knockout game in a World Cup playing Trent Alexander-Arnold,” Nevile told Sky Sports.
Speaking in a news conference on Friday ahead of the Premier League clash against Southampton, Klopp responded: “I didn’t speak to him [about the England call-up], but I know Trent now for long enough and he knows that apart from playing football, he has no influence [on the squad selection]. There’s a lot of talk around these kinds of things.
“I heard Gary Neville said something on the big games, like he can’t play in the knockout games. But Trent Alexander-Arnold is now 24 and won quite a few finals, important games where you have to defend.
