Gareth Southgate rues missed England opportunity for Trent Alexander-Arnold

England manager Gareth Southgate has shared his disappointment at not being able to test out Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold in midfield this month after the 25-year-old was unable to join the squad while he steps up his recovery from a knee injury.

"As you know, I've liked the idea for a long time but we’re going to be trialling it when we haven't seen it in a really high-level game. So we'll just have to see where we can go with it," he said.

Southgate's comments come as England continue their preparations for the upcoming European Championship this summer with two high-profile friendly games.

Alexander-Arnold was ruled out of the Three Lions' fixtures against Brazil (which England lost 1-0) and Belgium (on Tuesday night) having been sidelined since 10 February after sustaining knee ligament damage during Liverpool's 3-1 victory over Burnley.

It is hoped that the 25-year-old will return for the Reds in time for the clash with Sheffield United at Anfield on April 4.

Missed opportunity

"Alexander-Arnold is one individual who would have likely played had he been available for selection," Southgate said, underscoring his intention to try different tactics ahead of the tournament in Germany.

"The midfield thing we've seen, but we've missed two opportunities with [the] September [internationals] and now this one.

"That is really frustrating because there's so much that’s unknown about it at the minute," he added.

Different roles

Southgate, reflecting on the missed chances to explore Alexander-Arnold's potential in the middle, stressed that there is a "huge difference" between the role he has been playing this season for Liverpool, as a full-back "popping into midfield", and playing as an out-and-out midfielder.

"It's such a specialist position," he explained. "Starting in there, in and out of position in the game, receiving with your back to goal - there's a lot to that."

While Southgate remains hopeful for future opportunities to experiment with such tactical variations, time is running out.

England's final chance to trial the 25-year-old in the middle will come in June when they face Bosnia & Herzegovina and Iceland in friendlies, just before the start of the Euros.