At half-time in England's nerve-jangling 2-1 win over Slovakia on Sunday, with the Three Lions one goal down and struggling badly, Neville made a passionate case to bring Alexander-Arnold on at right-back, move Kyle Walker to the left and drop Kieran Trippier to the bench.
"It's illegal that lad isn't playing football in any game like this for England," Neville ranted on ITV. "We cannot have Kyle Walker and Kieran Trippier right-back and left-back when we're on the ball most of the time. That kid is the best player we've ever seen at right-back or full-back in this country. He's got to be on the pitch."
While Alexander-Arnold is a major threat going forward, and could be the answer to many of England's attacking shortfalls if played in his preferred position, there is one big problem with selecting him against Switzerland. And his name is Ruben Vargas.
The 25-year-old tore Italy to shreds in Berlin on Saturday, scoring one and setting up another as Switzerland booked their spot in the quarter-finals with a 2-0 win. Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Italy's right-back, didn't know whether he was coming or going whenever the left winger got the ball.
Vargas is in top form and Switzerland will rely heavily on him to test England's defences. Southgate and co. therefore need a full-back capable of keeping him on a tight leash.
Ruben Vargas scored a superb goal in Switzerland's 2-0 win over Italy (Image: Getty)
It's not been Walker's best tournament, and he had a tough time against Slovakia, but across almost 90 caps and countless Premier League appearances he has proven his defensive capabilities. Alexander-Arnold, by comparison, has long been fighting criticism over his weakness in one-on-one battles out wide.
In previous rounds, against the likes of Serbia, Denmark, Slovenia and Slovakia, there would have been a better argument for giving Alexander-Arnold the nod. England enjoyed having more of the ball in all bar one of those matches, and the Liverpool star's exquisite delivery could have helped to unlock their stubborn back-lines.
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But Switzerland have shown they are not to be taken lightly. Unlike against Slovakia, it won't be a case of England's opponents sitting back and parking the bus. Murat Yakin's side took the fight to Italy and the manager made it clear that his philosophy is all about going toe-to-toe with the big guns.
"We didn’t only clump together as a unit and sit back, we showed that we can attack and dominate," said Yakin after his side's memorable 2-0 win. "We could even have made the most of some other chances - that shows the players are all on top form. We can’t wait for our upcoming matches."
Trippier's injury scare against Slovakia adds another layer to Southgate's full-back conundrum. If he is forced to miss the next game, moving Walker to the left and putting Alexander-Arnold on the right could be England's only real choice. But if Trippier is fit; given the threat posed by Vargas, assigning Walker to lock him up is the smart move.
Trent Alexander-Arnold is behind Kyle Walker in England's right-back pecking order (Image: Getty)
