Five players who should’ve gone to the World Cup: Trent, Frimpong and more

With the World Cup entering its closing stages, attention turns to which absent players could have made a difference – England have one.

From former legendary strikers to current Real Madrid stars, here are five players who should have been involved this summer.

England – Trent Alexander-Arnold

There were plenty of eyebrows raised when Thomas Tuchel’s squad was named, but if England’s progress excuses most of the omissions, the absence of Trent Alexander-Arnold is one that many fans still can’t get behind.

Right-back has been a problem spot for England, with Reece James picking up an injury and then Jarell Quansah’s suspension. This follows Tino Livramento pulling out of the squad pre-tournament due to a calf injury.

But even with the Newcastle player being sidelined, Tuchel opted for Trevoh Chalobah over Alexander-Arnold.

It felt like England could have most used the creative full-back against Ghana, as there is still an argument to say he is the best English passer around at the moment.

Brazil – Joao Pedro

Joao Pedro’s Brazil snub was probably the most surprising – certainly to his family – with the Selecao not exactly flush with strikers.

Igor Thiago, who did have a good season with Brentford, only played 62 minutes, begging the question of why they took him. Matheus Cunha, who is not a natural nine, scored three times, but they came against Haiti and Scotland.

Brazil missed a better striker, making it all the more strange that Pedro was left at home.

Colombia – Jhon Duran

Colombia’s attack looked decidedly blunt, with just five goals in the tournament.

Should they then have taken Jhon Duran? His goal record was not fantastic last year, with seven in the 30 games he played, but he could have been an option for his goal-shy country.

Colombia’s top scorer at the tournament was Crystal Palace right-back Daniel Munoz, and first-choice striker Luis Suárez managed just one goal.

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Netherlands – Jeremie Frimpong

The Netherlands deployed a five-at-the-back system, which seems perfect for Frimpong, and yet he was left at home.

Coach Ronald Koeman dropped the flying full-back following his underwhelming debut season at Liverpool, but Frimpong would arguably have been a better option for the Dutch in their losing round of 16 match to Morocco.

Denzel Dumfries had the most touches in the opposition box but did not create any chances and was one of the poorer players in the Netherlands’ exit.

Uruguay – Luis Suarez

Considering his knees are shot, 39-year-old Suarez would not have had a huge on-pitch influence for Uruguay, but the team lacked, among many things, a leader.

The mood inside the dressing room was described as “toxic” with a rather poor generation of Uruguayan talent; perhaps the presence of one of their best-ever players could have inspired them to be more than the sum of their parts?

But while Marcelo Bielsa was in charge, Suarez making the squad was never going to be possible. The two have shared a lot of public friction, with Suarez criticising how Bielsa manages his players, and the coach is not exactly known for being flexible.

Uruguay went out with a whimper and Bielsa left his role. Suarez, meanwhile, probably smiled from his Miami home.

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