Declan Rice launches passionate defence of England teammate Trent Alexander-Arnold amid Euro 2024 criticism
Declan Rice has leapt to the defence of Trent Alexander-Arnold, saying that he's more than capable of playing in midfield.
The Liverpool star was the subject of calls pre-tournament to be used as one of Gareth Southgate's central midfielders at Euro 2024.
3
After starting England's opening two matches against Serbia and Denmark, Alexander-Arnold has come in for criticism with Roy Keane saying that the right-back 'wasn't up to it' as one of the midfield options.
TalkSPORT understands that Conor Gallagher will start England's final Group C match against Slovenia, replacing Alexander-Arnold in the starting XI, but that didn't stop Rice from defending his teammate in an interview with ITV.
“It’s funny because people were calling for Trent (Alexander-Arnold) to play in midfield,” he laughed.
“Half the country are calling for Trent to play in midfield then you play him in midfield and you want to bring him down – I don’t get it. I don’t get it at all.
READ MORE ON ENGLAND
“I’ll defend all of my boys until the day I never put on an England shirt.
“Trent is one of the best players I’ve ever seen.
“Don’t call for someone to play in a position and then backtrack all because you think he had a bad game or something.
“I’ll tell you now, Trent can play in midfield. I’ve seen it at England, I’ve seen it for Liverpool. He’s unbelievable.
Most read in Euro 2024
3
3
“That’s what I say to the people you see say that type of stuff.”
England face Slovenia in their final Group C match on Tuesday evening, live on talkSPORT.
England vs Slovenia: Betting with talkSPORT BET
Match odds:
England -
Draw -
Slovenia -
*odds subject to change
talkSPORT BET Euro 2024 Offer
Offer: Completely free £5 bet for Euro 2024 - No Deposit Needed
18+ New customers only. Opt in, get £5 free bet on selected markets. Available for first 5000 customers only. Bonus expires in 24h after registration. T&Cs apply, GambleAware.org Please gamble responsibly
Arsenal legend Emmanuel Petit insists Declan Rice is a 'victim' of Gareth Southgate's tactics for England
talkSPORT will bring you live commentary of EVERY game at Euro 2024. Tune in via the website or the app, and follow our live Euro 2024 blog for all the latest news, views and reaction to the big moments.
Topics