Brighton transfer rumours: Albion battle Brentford for Chelsea player, Crystal Palace plot raid for Fulham midfielder

The Albion defender has recently made his comeback from a long term injury issue, and will be hoping to rekindle the kind of form he exhibited over the early stages of last season.

At the present moment, Southgate’s England setup are blessed with an uncommonly gifted wealth of talent at right-back, but Richards sees no reason why the 21-year-old Seagulls star can’t stake his claim.

Writing in a column for the Daily Mail, he said: “Trent Alexander-Arnold would always be my No 1 choice to start as he does things from that position I have never seen before.

“He’s like a quarterback. I hope he starts both World Cup qualifiers against Albania and San Marino but it is no foregone conclusion. Reece James has really impressed me and his ability to play in a three-man defence provides another string to his bow.

“Kyle Walker’s CV, meanwhile, speaks volumes. Those are three outstanding options for Gareth Southgate but keep an eye out for Tino Livramento at Southampton in the future.

“I had to do a double take when I watched him going forward. He played with much more understanding than you would expect from an 18-year-old.

“Hopefully he has got a big future ahead of him if he keeps progressing — Tariq Lamptey at Brighton is another rising star — so England will have class options in my part of the pitch for many seasons to come. The investment in producing technical players is paying dividend.”