Gareth Southgate makes 'frustrating' Trent Alexander-Arnold claim after Liverpool injury setback

Gareth Southgate has expressed his frustration at being unable to test Trent Alexander-Arnold for England during the current international break.

Alexander-Arnold has been sidelined since February 10 with a knee injury sustained in a 3-1 home win over Burnley, presenting a pathway for Conor Bradley to earn first-team minutes.

The Reds' first-choice right-back has not only been a big miss at club level but his presence is, too, being missed for country as England continue their preparations for this summer's European Championship.

Southgate's side were defeated by Brazil on Saturday evening and will take on Belgium on Tuesday night, offering another opportunity to test different tactics and approaches before entering another major tournament.

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Alexander-Arnold is one individual who would have likely played had he been available for selection and the inability to utilise Liverpool's No.66 midfield has left the England boss with a feeling of disappointment.

"The midfield thing we've seen, but we’ve missed two opportunities with September and now this one that is really frustrating because there's so much that’s unknown about it at the minute," Southgate said of Alexander-Arnold.

"As you know, I've liked the idea for a long time but we’re going to be trialling it when we haven't seen it in a really high-level game. So we'll just have to see where we can go with it.

"It's such a specialist position. There's a huge difference between playing at full-back and popping into midfield and playing in there, starting in there, in and out of