Roy Keane insists “there’s something going on” between Thomas Tuchel and Trent Alexander-Arnold as the pundit hit out at a “not good” England quartet called up for the upcoming internationals.

Tuchel named a 35-man squad to take on Uruguay on Friday and then Japan on Tuesday in what will be the players’ last chance to impress for the Three Lions ahead of the World Cup this summer.

Alexander-Arnold has made just one appearance under Tuchel and was left out of the squad despite returning to fitness and some form at Real Madrid in recent weeks.

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The former Liverpool star has been consistently criticised for his poor defensive work while excelling with the ball at his feet, but Keane is bemused at him not being handed a chance ahead of the alternatives at right-back who are “not even good defenders”.

First-choice right-back Reece James has missed out through injury, meaning Djed Spence, Tino Livramento, Ezri Konsa and Ben White – recalled to replace the injured Jarell Quansah – will be vying to start on the right of the Three Lions defence.

Keane said on Stick to Football: “The strange thing is when people say about Trent and his defensive stuff, but he must look at the other defenders ahead of him and go: ‘Well they’re not great defensively either!’

“It’s not as if Tuchel is going, that’s going to be rock solid at the back, some of the lads ahead of him, they’re not even good defenders. There’s something going on.

“We keep talking about the England squad and saying, well they can play in different roles. You want lads who are really good, don’t be a jack of all trades.

“Ben White’s only played seven league games for Arsenal. Seven!

“You look at that squad and analyse it, defensively that England squad is not good, defensively.”

On Alexander-Arnold’s omission, Keane added: “If you’re a player like Trent and you’re left out of a 35-man squad, I still think that’s on you, that’s on the player.

“You must think, ‘how have I not done enough to persuade a manager to get me in a squad?’ There must be something.

“It’s about in the group. Tuchel said from day one, ‘I need lads who are good travellers’, all this type of thing and there’s something obviously about him he doesn’t like. It can’t be football. You don’t have to like everybody, but there’s something amiss, of course.”

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