Liverpool star Trent Alexander-Arnold was given just six minutes as England failed to impress in their final Euro 2024 group match.
The Anfield ace entered the pitch as an 84th-minute substitute for Kieran Trippier with the scores level at 0-0.
And that is how the match in Germany finished, much to the disappointment of the travelling England fans.
The miserable draw did, however, secure top spot in Group C for Gareth Southgate’s side, with five points to their name.
Those points were secured with an opening 1-0 win against Serbia and a 1-1 draw with Denmark, with Alexander-Arnold having started both of those matches.
Gary Neville warns Gareth Southgate over Trent Alexander-Arnold
The Liverpool man was handed a midfield role in those two games by Southgate, a decision that drew plenty of criticism, with Jamie O’Hara tearing into Alexander-Arnold after the Serbia match.
Chris Sutton meanwhile believes the midfield experiment simply hasn’t worked, with his fellow pundit Gary Neville now warning Southgate what he cannot afford to do with England stars such as Alexander-Arnold.
READ MORE: Everything to know on Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold from his girlfriend to net worth
“You mention Alexander-Arnold, Palmer, [Jude] Bellingham, Saka, Mainoo, [Phil] Foden – these are massive talents and we really cannot mishandle these talents, we really will regret it, and Gareth will as well,” Neville said on ITV.
“All I would say ahead of Sunday is these lads are there and staring him in the face now, they have come on in the second half and improved us enormously.
“They are our best technical players and the ones who look the most comfortable on the ball and make us look like a team.
“We looked so basic in the first half and that is being kind. That is the rigid England we have seen in every single tournament going back 20 years and that second half looked like they were playing with a bit of flow.”
Liverpool ace Trent Alexander-Arnold must return to England’s starting XI
Securing top spot in Group C should help England out massively, particularly given their current struggles on the pitch.
But even if handed a tie against a seemingly inferior opponent, there is every chance they will exit the competition given their recent performances.
READ MORE: Everything to know about Liverpool’s 2024 pre-season schedule
Southgate has largely tried to force all of his star players into his starting XI, although Alexander-Arnold was the unlucky one for the final game against Slovenia.
The Liverpool right-back was replaced by Conor Gallagher for the clash, with Southgate having made that change throughout the first two games.
England fans simply won’t have any clue about how the manager will line up in the next match, but it is clear that big changes are needed.
Alexander-Arnold is certainly one of the most creative players in the entire squad, and indeed at the entire tournament, so getting him back into the starting XI should be on Southgate’s agenda.
Receive a digest of our best Liverpool content each week direct to your mailbox
