Trent Alexander-Arnold: Injury rules England right-back out of Euro 2020

Liverpool defender limped off during the Three Lions’ friendly against Austria on Wednesday

Trent Alexander-Arnold has been ruled out of Euro 2020 after sustaining a thigh injury in England’s friendly against Austria on Wednesday night.

The Liverpool right-back limped off in the final minutes of the 1-0 victory in Middlesbrough and later underwent a scan, which revealed he will not be fit enough to compete at this summer’s rescheduled tournament.

England’s Euros campaign begins at Wembley Stadium next Sunday as Gareth Southgate’s side take on Croatia.

England are due to play another warm-up game this Sunday as they take on Romania, and Southgate suggested on Wednesday evening that he would wait until that fixture has been played before bringing in a replacement for Alexander-Arnold – should the 22-year-old’s injury prove severe enough to rule him out of the Euros.

That fear has now been confirmed, and the FA reiterated in a statement on Thursday night: “Gareth Southgate will not confirm a replacement until after Sunday’s return to the Riverside Stadium for the warm-up fixture against Romania.”

Alexander-Arnold was one of four right-backs named in Southgate’s 26-man squad for the Euros, alongside Manchester City’s Kyle Walker, Chelsea’s Reece James and Atletico Madrid’s Kieran Trippier.

Reports suggested that Alexander-Arnold would miss out on a place in the group, but Southgate said after Tuesday’s squad announcement that he had told the Liverpool defender “three weeks ago” that he was guaranteed a spot.

Tuesday’s squad reveal marked the confirmation of Southgate’s final 26-man squad for the Euros, which were postponed last summer due to the coronavirus pandemic, with the former England midfielder naming a 33-man provisional squad last week.

Manchester United forward Mason Greenwood withdrew from the provisional group due to injury, before Aaron Ramsdale, Ben Godfrey, Ben White, Jesse Lingard, James Ward-Prowse and Ollie Watkins were cut.

READ MORE: Who could replace Alexander-Arnold in England’s Euro 2020 squad?

As concerns Alexander-Arnold’s replacement, it seems most likely that Southgate will either select a defender from the group of players that missed out on the final squad – which would mean picking either Godfrey or White – or opt to add Ward-Prowse or Lingard to the midfield.

Lingard started in the win against Austria, while Ward-Prowse, White and Godfrey all came off the bench. Watkins was also a used substitute.