Rooney Bewildered by Tuchel's Squad Choices as Alexander-Arnold Left Out

Wayne Rooney has launched a scathing attack on England boss Thomas Tuchel's recent squad selections, taking particular issue with the inclusion of Ben White at the expense of Trent Alexander-Arnold.

The Arsenal defender turned in a solid display in midweek, though his campaign overall has been patchy and speculation suggests he could depart the Emirates this summer. With Jurrien Timber ahead of him in the pecking order when available, White's inclusion raised eyebrows—particularly given his previous international refusal.

Yet Tuchel's most contentious call was overlooking the Real Madrid full-back entirely. Speaking on his podcast, Rooney was scathing: "No disrespect to Ben White – I think he's a fantastic player – but for him to be in the squad and playing ahead of Trent is mind-boggling."

The Manchester United legend suggested Tuchel remains very much in the experimental phase with his squad construction. "I like what Tuchel has done, but I still think, at this stage, you should be having question marks on one or two players," Rooney explained. "It seems like he's still trying to figure out the rest of his squad, and 10 starting players."

Former Everton and England defender Phil Jagielka backed Alexander-Arnold's case for inclusion. "I think he probably still makes it," Jagielka said. "You need your best players. If he proves he can play half as well as he played for most of his time at Liverpool, he's definitely worth taking on the plane. If Reece James is fit, you put him in at right-back."

Rooney countered that James lacks defensive solidity, and pressed the broader point about defensive priorities in the full-back positions. "In terms of the lads who are there, you wouldn't say they're the best defensively anyway, any of them," he noted.

The pair also sparred over left-back selection. Jagielka favoured either Gio Reece O'Reilly or Lewis Hall, suggesting O'Reilly edges it despite occasionally being caught out defensively at club level. "He doesn't get asked to play left-back when he's at Manchester City," Jagielka reasoned. "There's literally nothing between him and Lewis."

Rooney, however, backed Manchester United's Luke Shaw for the role. "We don't need our full-backs to be the most attacking; we need them to defend," he argued. "Keep the balance and let the attacking player win you the games. Luke Shaw can't attack as much now, but what he can do is defend."