Trent Alexander-Arnold has admitted England's players agreed with Gary Lineker's verdict that the Three Lions' Euro 2024 performances were 'sh*t'.
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Trent says Lineker motivated Three LionsSouthgate came under heavy criticismEngland eventually lost in final to SpainGettyWHAT HAPPENED?
Lineker ruffled a few feathers in the Three Lions camp – and within the BBC – when he criticised Gareth Southgate and England's stars following their efforts in Germany. The BBC host made headlines when he described the performance in the 1-1 draw against Denmark as 'sh*t' – with England captain Harry Kane issuing a fierce response to those remarks – but Liverpool's Alexander-Arnold has now admitted that deep down, the squad knew Lineker was right.
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England didn't play well throughout the tournament and were beaten by Spain in the final. That defeat sparked the end for Gareth Southgate, who duly stepped down, and the Football Association has already announced they want a head coach who can "win a major tournament".
That will always be the aim considering the depth of talent available to the incoming boss, but it starts with playing more effective football. Lineker's comments appeared to spark an 'us vs. them' mentality inside the England camp, but Alexander-Arnold has now acknowledged that the players understood where he was coming from.
GettyWHAT ALEXANDER-ARNOLD SAID
"We had all seen it and heard it and felt it," the Liverpool ace told the . "We all knew that we could be playing and performing better. It is never nice for someone to point that out but everyone deep down knew it within ourselves, too.
"So it was something that we were already thinking about anyway, we knew we needed to be playing better. We had to add that to our performances, some players may have used that as motivation."
When asked whether the criticism prompted Southgate to step down, the 25-year-old added: "I don't know. Everyone has a high expectation with England now and rightly so, it is true of us as players. We feel we should be winning tournaments, that is the goal and standard we have set ourselves. That will be there for the new manager."
WHAT NEXT FOR ALEXANDER-ARNOLD?
Alexander-Arnold earned a well-earned break following the tournament in Germany. His attention will soon return to club football with Liverpool, where a new era will begin under Arne Slot. However, David Lynch reports that the right-back won't join the Reds' pre-season tour of the United States.