Trent Alexander-Arnold relishes England return after two-year absence

Trent Alexander-Arnold says it was “great” to be back representing England after a two-year absence, following the national team’s 2-0 victory over Czech Republic in the Nations League.

The Real Madrid defender returned to international action and played in the win, which saw England take advantage after their opponents were reduced to 10 men.

“It was great,” Alexander-Arnold told Sky Sports. “It is always an honour to represent my country, and it is something I enjoy so much.”

He said his belief that he could play for England had never disappeared, despite the long gap between appearances.

“It has been a long time, but I have always believed that I could play for England and I have always wanted to,” he added.

“Confidence is always there. It is about proving that at club level. The manager gave me the opportunity tonight to play and try to carry out what he asked me to do as well as I could.

“I hope he is pleased with what I produced.”

Alexander-Arnold said Czech Republic’s dismissal made it harder for England to find a way through, rather than making the game easier.

“I thought the performance was good,” he said. “When they are sent off and go down to 10 players, the pressure on us to win increases, but that actually makes it more difficult.

“They become more compact and defend with a lot of players behind the ball. We have a lot of possession, but it is difficult to break their defence down.”

England eventually found a breakthrough early in the second half, before adding a second goal to secure the result.

“We managed to score early in the second half, which was what we needed,” Alexander-Arnold said. “The longer the game stays 0-0, the more difficult it becomes and the more they believe they can hold on.

“It was good to score the second goal.”

He also described the understanding behind the goal scored by Anthony Gordon, which Alexander-Arnold helped create.

“I spoke to Anthony Gordon at half-time and told him that if I was going to be in the half-spaces and deliver crosses, he had to make sure he got to the back post,” he said.

“You do not expect it to happen that quickly, but it did and it worked.”

Alexander-Arnold praised Gordon’s movement and explained how he picked out the forward.

“He is a player who is constantly moving, and it is great to play with him,” he added. “I get the ball, try to lift my head and see the best option, then try to play it forward.

“I saw his run and managed to execute the pass.”