Roy Keane brutally laid into Trent Alexander-Arnold while discussing his midfield role against Denmark.
For the second game on the trot, Alexander-Arnold started in midfield alongside Declan Rice for the 1-1 draw in Frankfurt.
The Liverpool star has been working on the position for his country for a considerable period now but still struggled with many elements against Denmark.
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He was replaced by Conor Gallagher just minutes into the second half and many have called for Gareth Southgate to abandon the experiment for the clash with Slovenia.
Former Manchester United captain Keane was asked about Alexander-Arnold's displays centrally and in typical fashion, did not hold back with his assessment.
"When you've been taken off in the two games it's not a good sign," he said on ITV.
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"I thought it was always a huge gamble to play him; a player who doesn't play there for his club.
"I know people say he drifts in there for Liverpool. Drifting into a position and starting there is completely different.
"I've played in midfield and it's a tough position to play, physically, getting your distances.
"He's come up short in the two games. It's not all down to him. You'd have to probably put this on Gareth, it's a huge gamble for a full-back to come in the middle of the park.
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"This is not against the French or the Spanish. This is against two teams you thought England would be fairly comfortable against. It's a big ask for him and he's not up to it."
England's other midfield options include young starlets Kobbie Mainoo and Adam Wharton.
But after the draw, Southgate surprised fans when he said the team are missing Kalvin Phillips, who fell out of favour after struggling following his move to Manchester City.
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"It is an experiment, and we know that we don't have a natural replacement for a Kalvin Phillips," he told the BBC.
"We're trying some different things and at the moment we're not flowing as we would like, that's for sure."
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Topics: Roy Keane, England, Trent Alexander-Arnold
Josh Lawless