Klopp hits back at Alexander-Arnold question before giving defence of Liverpool star

The Reds right-back is highly-regarded at Anfield, having won every trophy available by the age of 23, but fourth-choice for the Three Lions.

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There are even questions over whether Alexander-Arnold will make the 26-man squad for the World Cup after manager Gareth Southgate made it clear Chelsea's Reece James, Man City's Kyle Walker and Newcastle's Kieran Trippier are ahead of the Liverpool man.

Alexander-Arnold did not play a single minute during the recent international break - and Klopp was asked about the situation ahead of the Premier League's return.

"You really want to open this box?" he told a journalist.

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"I mean it, you are an English journalist and we cannot discuss selections until the World Cup starts, it's one of the reasons why you make massive stories of these things.

"Why the team cannot prepare properly. If you ask me for my honest opinion, you will create headlines, it's clear.

"It helps Germany, maybe, it doesn't help England. I don't know why we do that.

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"A manager picks a player, or not, which I would obviously decide differently but I'm not in charge of this team and that's how it is. If you want to discuss it, I have a lot of things to say but I'm not sure it makes sense."

Klopp did eventually give his thoughts and insisted he would pick Alexander-Arnold even if there are questions over his defensive capabilities.

The German suggested a system with James in a back-three and Alexander-Arnold at wing-back.

Klopp said: "We are fine here because it's completely different because I see him differently. It's obvious.

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"There are stories out there all the time that talk about him and say he's not a good defender, but that's not true.

"He is a good defender, he doesn't always defend good, that is true as well, but that is what we're working on, he is a young player, he is 23.

"There is space for improvement, definitely, but we only discuss it on the level we discuss it because his offensive impact is so extreme for us, it could be for each team in the world.

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"My point of view, it's an easy pick. Whichever team I would coach in the moment, I would sign him because he is exceptional.

"Is he always exceptional? No.

"The rest now is that it is Gareth's job to find a team, and England is obviously blessed with a lot of really talented players in a similar position and it's difficult to line them all up together.

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"In this case, it could work, Reece James can play in a three in the back and that would be interesting to see how they could interchange positions.

"The only thing I can really say is that I see it differently, but that does not mean it is right or wrong.

"For Trent, he came back and accepts the decision of the manager because he understands football pretty well, he's an extremely smart boy. As a player you can never do more than offer what you can offer.

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"In football, there is one guy who decides if that is good enough or not and that's the manager. Here, more often than not it's the case he is picked and for England, obviously, not."