Alexander-Arnold remains one of Southgate's main World Cup problems

It appears that it is still up in the air as to whether Trent Alexander-Arnold will be receiving the call to join up with England for the World Cup in Qatar.

The Liverpool full-back was handed a rare start in a Three Lions shirt in last weekend's shock 1-0 UEFA Nations League defeat against Hungary in Budapest, operating as a wing-back on the right side of a defensive five.

That start may have come as a surprise to the full-back given his Champions League final appearance just a week prior following another gruelling campaign, and he was eventually replaced by Reece James just after the hour mark. It's no secret that Southgate has a plethora of options at right-back going into this winter's tournament, and the Three Lions boss will ultimately have an extremely tough call to make with one, or two, set to miss out.

Alexander-Arnold will likely face competition for a seat on the plane from the likes of Kyle Walker, Reece James, Kieran Trippier and Kyle Walker-Peters and it could be easy to see him rank third, if not fourth, in that pecking order.

The 23-year-old may find himself in favour given his abilities further up the field, especially when it comes to set-pieces, but there will be questions as to how many of that aforementioned list can actually feature at the same tournament.

Just five games remain between now and that opening fixture against Iran in November and despite being one of the first names on the team sheet at club level, Liverpool's right-back will have to work hard to secure a place in Southgate's ever-deepening squad.

Do you agree? Have your say in the survey above where you can select the squad that will go to Qatar, and then debate your choicesin the comments below.

My provisional 23-man squad (as of June 2022)

Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford, Aaron Ramsdale, Nick Pope

Defenders: Kyle Walker, Reece James, Kieran Trippier, Harry Maguire, John Stones, Conor Coady, Fikayo Tomori, Luke Shaw, Trent Alexander-Arnold

Midfielders: Declan Rice, Jude Bellingham, Jordan Henderson, Phil Foden, Kalvin Phillips, Mason Mount, Bukayo Saka, Jack Grealish

Forwards: Harry Kane, Raheem Sterling, Tammy Abraham

Agree? Have your say in the comments below and don't forget to take part in the survey