Under Gareth Southgate, Trent Alexander-Arnold has had trouble getting the start, but his game against the Republic of Ireland makes it look like that will change.

After the game in Dublin, fans were confused about why Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold had only earned 29 caps for his country. Alexander-Arnold played right back against Ireland. It was one of the few problems with Gareth Southgate’s time as England manager.

Anthony Gordon didn’t have much time to persuade Southgate, but Alexander-Arnold’s first game was more than six years ago and it was under the former England manager.

He has played more than 300 times for his club, but only 30 times for England before his 26th birthday, which isn’t very many for one of the most popular people in the country.

If you look at Alexander-Arnold’s pass to Gordon, it could have been England’s first goal but instead set up Declan Rice’s. From 40 yards away, no other English player could have made that pass. It was just the right time and place to use Gordon’s speed to cut through the Irish defense and change how the guests moved the ball around.