Ian Wright has urged Trent Alexander-Arnold to curb his attacking instincts if he continues to play in midfield for England.
Alexander-Arnold was selected to start in central midfield for the Three Lions in their win over Serbia on Sunday. The Liverpool star featured for 69 minutes before being replaced by Conor Gallagher for the final stages.
The 25-year-old started brightly despite playing out of position but faded as the game progressed. Doubts are rising over whether Alexander-Arnold should continue to partner Declan Rice.
If he does continue in the middle of the park, Wright has cautioned the Liverpool star against flying forward to join attacks. Instead, the Arsenal legend believes he would be better off hanging back or he may come under pressure for his place from the likes of Adam Wharton.
"I thought at certain times, especially in the first half, he was way forward, in the kind of positions that Bellingham and Foden were taking up. I was thinking, if he's meant to be the creative one, starting off the attacks, I thought he was too far forward," Wright told ITV Sport.
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"When he was back and he had time on the ball, we could then see what he's capable of doing. You look at someone like Wharton, who can play like you want, at some stage, you're going to have to start playing him."
Legendary Manchester United skipper Roy Keane though believes Alexander-Arnold needs time to settle in his new position. Keane insisted that there is no quick fix for England's midfield conundrum.
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Alexander-Arnold put in a mixed performance against Serbia on Sunday (UEFA via Getty Images)"They've got to stay calm with it all. Because they have three of four world-class players when Kane or Foden's having an off-night, players like Bellingham step up. I thought Trent did alright. It was a pretty average England performance," he added.
"He made a couple of mistakes which he got away with. That's all part of learning your trade. It took me 25 international games to get settled in the midfield. He's got that range of passing, that's one good ball in an hour. There will be tougher games ahead."
England boss Gareth Southgate defended Alexander-Arnold for his performance against Serbia. However, he did hint that changes could be made in future games as he looks to utilise his squad.
"We had to suffer a bit, which I think is really good for us to come through and to defend our box in the way we did under pressure is important for the group. I have to say Trent has been really diligent in getting his positioning right, balancing it off as Jude goes forward a lot," he said.
"I thought Trent adapted and adjusted to his positioning really well. He used the ball well and had a really good effort on goal. In the end, we wanted some fresh legs in there and Conor [Gallagher] can get to the ball quickly. We have a squad and we need to use it."
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