Who Gareth Southgate should line up with Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice in England's midfield at Euro 2024 - opinion
England manager Gareth Southgate has a big decision to make in England’s midfield. Southgate trialled most of his 26-man squad in the Three Lions’ two...
England manager Gareth Southgate has a big decision to make in England’s midfield.
Southgate trialled most of his 26-man squad in the Three Lions’ two warm-up games, against Bosnia and Herzegovina and Iceland, to varied success.
The 53-year-old now has some difficult decisions to make ahead of England’s opening game at the European Championship, one of which is who should start in midfield.
TBR Football evaluates a key dilemma that Southgate faces this summer.
Which midfielders made England’s Euro 2024 squad?
Southgate has selected six midfielders in his 26-man England squad for Euro 2024: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Conor Gallagher (Chelsea), Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United), Declan Rice (Arsenal) and Adam Wharton (Crystal Palace).
Rice is fully expected to start on one side of England’s double-pivot midfield, having enjoyed an excellent 2023-24 campaign at Arsenal.
Meanwhile, Southgate will surely choose Jude Bellingham as his ‘number 10’, as he produced 25 goal contributions in 28 La Liga games from that position this season.
The sticking point for the Three Lions boss is who to put alongside Rice, with several pros and cons for each of the four options.
However, two players can probably be ruled out: Alexander-Arnold and Gallagher. The former, who usually plays at right-back, does not have enough experience in midfield, while the latter lacks composure and is best suited to providing energy as a second-half substitute.
Should Kobbie Mainoo or Adam Wharton start for England at Euro 2024?
Mainoo broke into Man Utd’s first team this season as a result of injuries and grasped the opportunity with both hands.
The 19-year-old played 32 times in all competitions, including several big games – most recently the recent FA Cup final in which his goal helped the Red Devils beat Manchester City 2-1.
Controlled with the ball and tenacious without it, Mainoo could perform well alongside Rice in England’s midfield.
Wharton, on the other hand, did not come through a Premier League academy. In fact, he was at Blackburn Rovers until January, when he made the £18 million move to Palace.
Yet, the 20-year-old was nothing short of superb for Oliver Glasner’s side as they surged up to 10th in the table. And, he even impressed in his second-half cameo against Bosnia and Herzegovina last Monday.
Wharton truly made a difference in that game – a similar test to England’s Group C opponents – with his exceptional press resistance and progressive passing.
Hence, despite Mainoo’s form over a larger sample size, the Palace star should be selected alongside Rice for his ability to help England transition from defence to attack at speed.
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