Trent Alexander-Arnold has insisted he will never turn his back on England, vowing to use his omission from the World Cup squad as motivation to fight his way back into international contention.

The Real Madrid right-back was a high-profile absentee from Thomas Tuchel's 26-man squad for the tournament in North America, following an underwhelming and injury-hit debut campaign in the Spanish capital. Alexander-Arnold made only 30 appearances across all competitions in 2025-26 after moving from Liverpool on a free transfer, with eight of those coming as a substitute.

While Reece James, Ezri Konsa, and Djed Spence all earned minutes on the right side of defence during England's run to bronze in North America, Alexander-Arnold watched from afar. His challenges continued into the new domestic season under Jose Mourinho, who selected new signing Denzel Dumfries ahead of him in Real Madrid's LaLiga opener against Espanyol.

Despite his difficult spell, the 27-year-old remains determined to earn his place back with the Three Lions ahead of Euro 2028 on home soil.

"Until I retire, I'm still an England player, whether I'm selected or not," Alexander-Arnold said. "I'm always available if and when the manager needs me. There's no bigger honour. I want to use it as fuel to get back into England squads and then back into an England shirt. That's an aim of mine and I hope to achieve it."

Liverpool exit and fan backlash

Alexander-Arnold also opened up about his departure from Anfield, admitting he continues to receive online backlash from supporters more than a year after running down his contract to join Madrid.

"The booing and disappointment from Liverpool supporters is something I'm absolutely able to shoulder. I can understand it, in my own way," he explained. "But I hope one day there'll be a degree of understanding about the decisions I wanted to make around my own life. It hurts because of how much I've put into the club over the course of 20 years and the sacrifices I made for the club during that period."

The defender will look to force his way into Mourinho's starting lineup when Real Madrid host Real Sociedad in midweek, followed by a home clash against Malaga at the weekend.