Africa-Press – Nigeria. Former Arsenal star, Paul Merson, wants England manager Gareth Southgate to start Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold ahead of Chelsea’s Reece James at the 2022 FIFA World Cup opener.
Southgate currently has the likes of Alexander-Arnold, James, Manchester City’s Kyle Walker and Newcastle’s Kieran Trippier all vying for a spot at the right-back position in the England squad.
England will clash with Iran in their 2022 FIFA World Cup opener on November 21.
Explaining why he preferred Alexander-Arnold over James, Merson said (via Football London): “Whatever happens, Alexander-Arnold must play in the opener. I definitely don’t think he is a better player than James in terms of being an all-round player.
“But if you’re talking about a team like Iran who are going to put ten behind the ball and you need to break them down, Trent has to be in the team for that game.”
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