We are just a little over seven months away from next summer's FIFA World Cup. The biggest spectacle in all of sports, and the time when the world unites around the love for our beautiful game and fans and players alike are eagerly counting down the days until the first match kicks off on June 11th, 2026.
That's why this season was so key for those players who might be on the fringes of getting called up by their country next summer. This is the last chance they'll get to prove to their coach why they deserve a spot in the squad when the tournament rolls around.
Surprisingly, one player who still has a question mark next to his name is England full-back Trent Alexander-Arnold. The right-back used to be one of the first names on the team sheet under Gareth Southgate, but has since lost his place under new manager Thomas Tuchel.
Trent seemed to be a long shot to be included in the England squad next summer, but after returning from injury, he began to show his class again for Real Madrid, showing exactly why he deserves a place in Thomas Tuchel's squad. Unfortunately for the Englishman, just as he started getting going, things came crashing back down for him once again.
Trent Alexander-Arnold just made his World Cup hopes a whole lot harder
As confirmed on the official Real Madrid website, Trent Alexander-Arnold suffered an injury to his left quadriceps and is rumored to be out for as long as two months. The Englishman went off injured in the 55th minute against Athletic Club, being replaced by Raul Asencio.
This injury comes at the worst possible time for the defender; he had just returned from a previous leg muscle injury and was just getting back into flying form, playing some tremendous football for Los Blancos.
This injury is a major blow to the Englishman's hope of being called up by Thomas Tuchel next summer. Should he be out the full two months and not return to football until February, he may not have enough time to win the manager over before the tournament starts.
Adding on top of that, the somewhat of a career resurgence Reece James has been having with Chelsea this season, who has become Thomas Tuchel's number one right-back, and other players like Tottenham's Djed Spence getting minutes at right-back under Tuchel. It now seems as though Trent Alexander-Arnold would need a miracle to be included in the England squad when the World Cup rolls around next summer.