Roy Keane has criticised Trent Alexander-Arnold and believes the England star ‘isn’t up to it’ following their 1-1 draw with Denmark at Euro 2024 on Thursday.
The Three Lions were forced to settle for a point, with Morten Hjulmand cancelling out an early goal from Harry Kane.
England were flat throughout the showdown, with fans ripping into Gareth Southgate in the short time since the clash.
The 53-year-old has been using Alexander-Arnold in midfield during the tournament so far, despite the Liverpool star being a right-back by trade.
Roy Keane has criticised Trent Alexander-Arnold and believes the England star ‘isn’t up to it’ following their 1-1 draw with Denmark at Euro 2024 on Thursday
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And Keane feels Alexander-Arnold ‘isn’t up to it’ after the Reds star toiled at the Frankfurt Arena.
“When you have been taken off in the two games, it’s not a good sign,” said Keane.
“I always thought it was a huge gamble to play a player who doesn’t play that week in and week out for his club.
“I know people say that he drifts in there for Liverpool. But drifting into a position and starting is completely different.
“I have played in midfield, it’s a tough position. Physically, getting your distances and he has come up short in the two games.
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“It’s not all down to him. You have to probably put this on Gareth (Southgate).
“It’s a huge gamble to throw a fullback in the middle of the park.
“This isn’t against the French or the Spanish, where they have got tougher tests ahead and maybe even Germany.
“This is against two teams where you thought England would be fairly comfortable and have lots of possession.
“But it was a big ask for him and he isn’t up to it.”
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Keane also said Declan Rice was ‘babysitting’ for Alexander-Arnold against Denmark, with the Arsenal star also subdued.
“We talk about what you do in possession, but it’s really important against the better teams what you do out of possession,” added the Manchester United icon.
“That’s where he has been thrown into the deep end.
“Okay, he is going to be comfortable on the ball and if you give him time, he can see a pass, of course, there is no doubting that.
“But it’s the other bits of his game. The distances.
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Euro 2024: Trent Alexander-Arnold was poor for England in their Euro 2024 clash with Denmark
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“Even for Rice, it feels like Rice is babysitting him in midfield and you can’t do that at this level.
“You will be found out and he has been.”
Southgate, meanwhile, feels England players may be struggling with the expectations on their shoulders.
“We know the level has to be higher, we know the level can be higher,” said the 53-year-old.
“Maybe the biggest thing is we have to accept the environment that we’re in and the expectations that are around us. We are going to have to walk towards that challenge.
Euro 2024: Gareth Southgate believes his England players are struggling with the pressure after Denmark draw
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“At the moment we’re falling a little bit short of that. Ultimately that’s my responsibility. I’m the manager and I’ve got to guide this group in the best way possible. To achieve extraordinary things, you have to go through some difficult moments.
“Today was a difficult moment without a doubt, towards the end of the game, especially.
“But England have never won back-to-back qualification matches [at the Euros] I was told yesterday, so there’s a reason for that and we hoped to write a different story today. We haven’t managed that.
“We understand what that will mean for the next few days, but we have to stay calm inside the group and find good solutions to improve it.”
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