Trent: I was right to snub U19s

LIVERPOOL’S Trent AlexanderArnold says his decision to snub England Under 19s last summer has been vindicated by his rise into Gareth Southgate’s squad. It caps off a brilliant season at Anfield in which he established himself as first-choice right back, playing a key role in the run to the Champions League final. And after making his senior international debut against Costa Rica on Thursday, the 19-year-old looked back on his decision to start pre-season at Liverpool instead of playing in England’s triumphant U19 European Championship campaign. ‘It was a difficult decision, but I wanted to focus on becoming first choice at Liverpool. ‘The U19s cut into pre-season and I needed to be around the Liverpool team to show the manager that I had the hunger to get better every day.’ The prospect of playing at the World Cup gave Alexander-Arnold the perfect pick-me-up after the defeat by Real Madrid in Kiev. He said: ‘I want to go to Russia and play and I will try to show the manager that I am good enough to play and hopefully work my way into the team.’