England suffer a blow with two influential figures set to miss the upcoming Euros according to reports emerging on Saturday morning.
Liverpool midfielder Jordan Henderson is set to be ruled out of the summer’s tournament, and unfortunately for Gareth Southgate, it doesn’t look like he’s going to be able to call upon his experience and leadership qualities.
Henderson is not thought to be anywhere near fitness according to Jurgen Klopp, and with it now the beginning of of May, and the Euros starting next month, it’s looking increasingly unlikely that he’ll be back in time.
View this post on Instagram
Ralph Hasenhuttl says Danny Ings may not play for Southampton again this season after sustaining a hamstring injury against Spurs, meaning his involvement in Euro 2020 could also be in doubt.
“It is not that (much) worse than it looked at first but it’s also that serious that he now misses a few Premier League games, I don’t know if he comes back for the last games,” Hasenhuttl said of Ings.
“We have Liverpool (on May 8) and then five games in two weeks so we need every player.”
View this post on Instagram
Another player who has already been confirmed ruled out is Harvey Barnes. Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers has confirmed the priority is to get him back for pre-season.
The 23-year-old has impressed this season with 13 goals and four assists in 35 games across all competitions; Barnes made his England debut in October 2020 in a 3-0 friendly win vs Wales
Southgate hardly has any back-up options in the middle of the squad, so Henderson’s absence would be perhaps more frustrating for him than others who could be ruled out.
The England boss will be forced to call upon the likes of Declan Rice, Kalvin Phillips and potentially Jude Bellingham, which some fans would actually prefer.
The Three Lions’ defence and attack will need to be at their very best if they want to negate Henderson’s absence with it being their best chance of success.
www.fanbanter.co.uk – Fan reaction to the latest football news, gossip & funnies
It was recently confirmed that UEFA are to expand squads from 23 to 26 – so what does that mean for Gareth Southgate’s England?
It would be a welcome boost for the likes of Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka and Trent Alexander-Arnold who are three players who were very much on the fringes the team.
This news also provides optimism for Jack Grealish and Jadon Sancho who are set to come back from a lengthy period out.
What chance do Mason Greenwood and Patrick Bamford have?
Interestingly, Southgate chose to watch Leeds against Manchester United recently, instead of the Carabao Cup final on the same day, which has led to reports that Mason Greenwood and Patrick Bamford might still be in his thoughts.
View this post on Instagram
While both are probably long shots at this stage, unless there are injury issues for Harry Kane, Dominic Calvert-Lewin or Marcus Rashford in the coming weeks, other fringe players could still be in the mix.
Eric Dier, Tyrone Mings and Conor Coady – all of whom were in Southgate’s last squad, but had little game time (Coady played 90mins against San Marino, Mings 45 minutes in the same game, Dier never got off the bench in any of the three matches).
England’s Euro 2020 group fixtures:
Sunday June 13 – Group D: England vs Croatia; Kick-off 2pm (London)
Friday, June 18 – Group D: England vs Scotland; Kick-off 8pm (London)
Tuesday June 22 – Group D: Czech Republic vs England; Kick-off 8pm (London)
EURO 2020 WINNER ODDS:
England – 5/1
France – 5/1
Belgium – 6/1
Germany – 7/1
Portugal – 8/1
Spain – 8/1
Italy – 11/1
The Netherlands – 11/1
Croatia – 33/1
Denmark – 33/1
Russia – 66/1
Switzerland – 66/1
Turkey – 66/1
Ukraine – 66/1
Poland – 80/1
Sweden – 80/1
Austria – 100/1
Czech Republic – 150/1
Scotland – 150/1
Slovakia – 150/1
Wales – 150/1
Finland – 250/1
Hungary – 500/1
North Macedonia – 750/1
Gareth Southgate reveals England team has one of its greatest chances of success at this summer’s Euros.
He said: “Phil was part of the team that won the Under 17s World Cup, and we won the Under 19s World Cup and an Under 20s Euros in that same year.
“There are a large number of players from there now starting to come into our squad and that is brilliant for us.
“They’ve been getting great experiences for their club but also the national team where they have had experience of winning on a European and world stage – and that can only be good for England.
“We are focusing on the next generation, these young players – some who will be peaking not this summer, but in the next four to six years.
“We are really excited about what they might do this summer.”
Gareth, 50, added: “We are in a tough group but if we win the group, there is a good chance now that our first knock out game would be at Wembley as well.
“So there is every incentive to do it, we just have to deliver.”
As England suffer a blow with two influential figures set to miss the Euros, what do you make of this? Who would you replace them with? Let us know via our socials!
You must be logged in to post a comment Login