Trent Alexander-Arnold's surprising feelings on England squad omissions
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Trent Alexander-Arnold
Trent Alexander-Arnold's surprising feelings on England squad omissions
Alexander-Arnold has struggled for minutes with the England national team
He is widely regarded as one of the best players in the Premier League
The Liverpool star has discussed his England aspirations
By Jack Gallagher
1:00 PM GMT
Alexander-Arnold has become a key player for England
Alexander-Arnold has become a key player for England / Marc Atkins/GettyImages
Trent Alexander-Arnold has insisted he 'fully understands" England manager Gareth Southgate's decision to use him sparingly in the past.
Despite being a star player for one of the best club teams in the country, Alexander-Arnold has largely struggled to cement a place in England's starting XI in recent years - he played just 33 minutes of football during the most recent FIFA World Cup in 2022.
The Liverpool superstar finally found a route into Southgate's Three Lions lineup during recent international windows however, featuring as a central midfielder at the tail-end of 2023.
Speaking in an interview with FourFourTwo, Alexander-Arnold commented on his lack of game-time with England, insisting that he 'understands' Southgate's previous decisions.
Trent Alexander-Arnold
A star at club level / Shaun Botterill/GettyImages
"I think a lot of it comes down to timing. In a different era and different generation, I'd have played much more for my country. However, I'm a firm believer in my own ability, what I bring to a team and what I can do on a football pitch. I still believe I've got a big role to play with England, to go and help the team win silverware - whether I play every minute of a tournament or I play no minutes at all in a tournament," said Alexander-Arnold.
"I fully understand that decisions have to be made and I'll never throw my toys out the pram. I feel like I've enjoyed the good side of it at club level, as someone who knows he's going to play most games, and I've got that trust in the manager. I'm fortunate enough to not have to think about that too much at Liverpool and just go and perform.
"No matter what, no matter how the news is presented to you, it's always disappointing when you're told you're not in the squad or you're not in the team.
"But I'm someone who's very rational around those kinds of things. I know how difficult it must be. You've got so many options, so many decisions to make, and I''ll never hold it against a manager for making that decision."
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Sevilla reveal huge update on Man Utd loanee following first-team exile
Hannibal Mejbri joined Sevilla on loan from Man Utd for rest of season back in January
Midfielder initially used sparingly but made his first start in Saturday's win against Real Sociedad
Sevilla have option to buy Hannibal for £17m this summer
By Sean Walsh
1:00 PM GMT
Hannibal is back in Sevilla's first-team setup
Hannibal is back in Sevilla's first-team setup / Angel Martinez/GettyImages
Sevilla head coach Quique Sanchez Flores has admitted Manchester United loanee Hannibal Mejbri now has a future with the Spanish club after making his first start at the weekend.
The 21-year-old joined Sevilla on an initial loan for the rest of the season during the January transfer window and they retain the option to buy him for £17m this summer.
However, Hannibal's loan spell got off to a rocky start when he was deemed not ready to play by Sanchez Flores after playing 28 minutes of a 5-1 loss to Girona. He was subsequently used for just nine further minutes over Sevilla's next seven games.
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Speaking after the defeat to Girona, Sanchez Flores said: "Hannibal, after speaking with him and seeing his first minutes in Girona, we have given him the necessary space for him to understand where he is, what Sevilla means and where we want to see him defending the shirt.
"We have given him that learning period so that he can see things from the outside and he will return to the squad as one more player and as a player who we hope will contribute a lot until the end of the season.
"In the end, he has landed in a great club like Sevilla, in circumstances which require maximum demand and that require a bit of location. Sometimes, things look better from the outside than from the inside and, from our point of view, I had to take a step for him to see how we organise ourselves. We want him to apply it and we believe he will understand perfectly what we want."
But Hannibal seems to have turned a corner in Andalusia and he made his first start for Sevilla in Saturday's impressive 3-2 win against Real Sociedad.
Post-match, Sanchez Flores spoke glowingly of the Tunisia international, telling Diario de Sevilla: "The boy is reaching another level of understanding and is now capable of playing at any time.
"This has been a more mental adaption than a footballing one. Going from the Premier League to La Liga, which is very different.
"And moving to a team with a very difficult situation. From Manchester United, which was fighting among the top five, to Sevilla, which is among the bottom seven. It is very different. He had to be grounded, put [the challenge] into perspective and now it is the coach who has to play him."
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John Mousinho: All that matters for Portsmouth is winning says boss
Last updated on2 hours ago2 hours ago.
From the sectionPortsmouth
John Mousinho's Portsmouth beat Oxford United 2-1
John Mousinho became Portsmouth boss in January 2023
Portsmouth boss John Mousinho says all that matters at this stage of the season for the League One leaders is "winning".
Saturday's 2-1 win over Oxford United stretched Pompey's unbeaten run to nine matches.
Their 22nd victory of the season also maintained the seven-point gap between themselves and Derby in second and third-placed Bolton.
"It's an important win for us," Mousinho told BBC Radio Solent.
"The sign of a side that is going in the right direction is one that can grind out wins and score from different places with different players.
"Oxford can count themselves slightly unlucky to not come away with anything, all that matters at this stage of the season is winning."
Portsmouth took an early lead through January signing Callum Lang before Oxford equalised with a penalty in the sixth minute.
But a first League One goal from Christian Saydee after the break wrapped up the win and secured a fifth victory from their past six league matches.
New signing Lee Evans, who joined on a free transfer on Friday, was not in the squad, but Mousinho hinted the 29-year-old could play a crucial role in the final stretch of the campaign.
"I think everyone's quite excited about him signing," Mousinho added.
"He's hopefully going to be an option for us in the final seven to eight games.
"To bring in a player of that calibre at this stage of the season, with the experience of being promoted last season is a really good option."
Portsmouth next travel away to Blackpool on Saturday.
