MIDDLE STUMPED
Daily Mirror UK|June 03, 2024
With doubts about Maguire and Grealish, plus his need to pair Bellingham and Foden, Southgate must now gamble in midfield and call on Trent to solve puzzle
JOHN CROSS
MIDDLE STUMPED

GARETH SOUTHGATE knows the clock is ticking.

The England manager has to trim his Euros squad down to 26 on Saturday and there is less than a fortnight until the first group match with Serbia on Sunday, June 16.

And yet there are question marks in central defence, at left-back, in central midfield and how to shoehorn both Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden into the starting line-up.

While Jack Grealish (training, right) sweats on his place and Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw remain big injury doubts, the midfield solution is likely to come in the shape of a full-back.

Trent Alexander-Arnold will get an audition in midfield across the next two friendlies - with Bosnia and Herzegovina tonight and Iceland on Friday - in the hope that he can solve perhaps the biggest puzzle.

When Southgate picked the training squad last month, the Three Lions boss admitted it was a case of "Declan Rice and who?" with the Liverpool playmaker the most obvious solution.

This story is from the June 03, 2024 edition of Daily Mirror UK.

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This story is from the June 03, 2024 edition of Daily Mirror UK.

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