Gary Lineker claims Thomas Tuchel has 'personal' issue with England star

Gary Lineker has argued that Thomas Tuchel must have a 'personal' issue with one player left out of his England squad.

On Friday, Tuchel walked out at Wembley for his 11th match since being appointed as manager of the England national team in October 2024.

The Three Lions faced Uruguay in their match on Friday, with Tuchel picking an experimental lineup in the 1-1 draw having named a 35-man squad for England's two international games over the break.

Within the 35-man squad are players like Ben White, who was called up for the first time since 2022, and Harvey Barnes, who made his first appearance in nearly six years as a substitute against Uruguay.

However, one notable player that was absent from Tuchel's squad was Trent Alexander-Arnold, who has just one appearance under the German manager, a 26-minute cameo against Andorra in June.

In an attempt to explain Alexander-Arnold's omission, England legend Lineker has suggested that Tuchel must have a “personal” issue with the Real Madrid star.

Speaking on The Rest is Football podcast, Linker said: “You obviously know I’m a big admirer of Trent. I think there’s something personal, because football-wise, there’s no argument.

“I can’t see how he can not be in that squad because he has to improve your chances, even if it’s from the bench.

“So I suspect there’s something that Tuchel does not like about Trent Alexander-Arnold, I’d just be guessing in terms of what it might be, whether it’s his attitude or he thinks he’s not brilliant defensively.

“There has to be something in that because it makes absolutely no sense. You’ve got players playing in his position, with all due respect, that are not in the same league as him, certainly with the ball at his feet.

“As you saw in these kind of games, you need someone with a bit of magic to unlock things, and he will provide you that.

“Now I wouldn’t judge him on that because we don’t really know what’s happened in the camp before and his reasons for not playing.

“That’s all fine but I can’t see how he can still be ahead of Trent, I think that’s really insulting to a seriously top full-back. That’s my view.”

Alexander-Arnold hasn't played for England since June last year. (Image: Bruno Penas/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images)

Since his controversial move from Liverpool to Real Madrid in late May 2025, Alexander-Arnold has failed to find a regular spot in either Tuchel or his club's squad.

The 27-year-old appears to be behind Reece James, Tino Livaramento, Jarell Quansah and Ben White in the right-back pecking order.

Seemingly acknowledging this, he posted 'Madrid and nothing more' on Instagram, after helping Real beat local rivals Atletico prior to the international break

But Lineker clearly isn't the only one eager to have him return to the Three Lions camp, as fans booed White throughout the match against Uruguay.