Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold is ‘absolutely gutted’ by the injury that ends his chances of appearing at Euro 2020.
The 22-year-old was the subject of intense debate as reports suggested he would be left out of England’s 26-man squad.
He was ultimately selected by manager Gareth Southgate but came off with a thigh injury during the 1-0 friendly win over Austria.
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Speaking about the injury blow, Alexander-Arnold simply tweeted: “Absolutely gutted.”
He was omitted from the Three Lions squad for the World Cup qualification triple-header in March after a poor few months, compared to his own high standards.
But a solid season run-in with Liverpool, which saw him score a brilliant winning goal against Aston Villa, meant he received the call-up.
Southgate will now have to decide which player to bring into the fold. Jesse Lingard, James Ward-Prowse and Ollie Watkins are all in with a shout.
The 50-year-old already has Kyle Walker, Reece James and Kieran Trippier available at right-back, with Man City star Walker likely to start in the first Euros clash.
England face Croatia in their opening group match on June 13. Games against Scotland and Czech Republic follow as the Three Lions look to reach the knockout stages.
Speaking after his initial decision to include all the right-backs, Southgate said: “You’re looking at four right-backs, I just see four good footballers.
“Trippier can play at left-back. Alexander-Arnold can play at wing-back, I think he can play midfield.
“I’ve seen Reece James play on the right side of a back three, at wing-back and as a midfielder. In a tournament, those flexible players who can fulfil different roles will be hugely important.
“We don’t know how the next few weeks will play out in terms of availability and injuries, what our best system will be with the players we’ve got available.
“We’ve got too many questions marks as I sit here today, but that will become clearer. We know what we’d like to do, but we’ve got contingencies in place.”
England’s next game is a friendly against Romania on Sunday. It’s their final friendly before the tournament kicks off on June 11.
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