Gareth Southgate in all probability is aware of most of his England beginning XI for his or her first match at Euro 2024, however it stays a guessing recreation as as to whether or not it’ll embrace Trent Alexander-Arnold.
The Liverpool vice-captain began the 3-0 pleasant win over Bosnia & Herzegovina earlier this week, scoring late on as he performed a starring position. He needed to content material himself with a substitute look in Friday’s defeat to Iceland, however was one of many few positives from a dismal evening for the Three Lions.
At 9am on Saturday morning, the nationwide crew’s official X channel posted the squad numbers that every participant will put on on the European Championship in Germany, with the 25-year-old taking the quantity 8 shirt.
Revealing your #ThreeLions squad numbers for #EURO2024! 🏴🔢 pic.twitter.com/nTEbH3MGiO
— England (@England) June 8, 2024
READ MORE: ‘What I’m listening to’: Fabrizio Romano reacts to rumours of Saudi curiosity in Alisson Becker this summer time
READ MORE: (Video) Alexander-Arnold reveals the nation how nice his passing is as soon as once more
It’s been commonplace at main tournaments that the crew which is thought to be the likeliest beginning XI occupy shirt numbers 1 to 11, so by that logic, the allocation for Euro 2024 seems to trace on the agency chance of Trent being in Southgate’s choose to start out.
Former Liverpool midfielders Paul Ince and Steven Gerrard have each worn 4 at World Cups for the Three Lions, the identical as Declan Rice will do at this summer time’s Euros, and the Reds vice-captain being given quantity 8 additionally means that he’ll extra seemingly play in the midst of the park than at right-back.
Comply with Empire of the Kop on Instagram (@empireofthekop) HERE
After all, the crew which begins a nation’s first match at a event can typically look markedly completely different from the beginning XI of their closing recreation, with accidents, suspensions and gamers in or out of shape generally seeing unlikely bolters emerge as pivotal figures because the competitors progesses.
Trent wore shirt numbers 22 and 18 within the two World Cups through which he featured (curiously, he wore 22 at Russia ’18 and 18 at Qatar ’22) and performed simply as soon as at every finals, whereas his single-digit quantity this time round appears to point that he’s moved up the pecking order.
Between now and the Serbia recreation on 16 June, England followers will fervently debate the composition of their most popular beginning XI, however finally the Liverpool star’s destiny is in Southgate’s fingers. One factor we are able to say for sure is that, on latest performances, he deserves to start out in Gelsenkirchen in eight days’ time.
READ MORE: A historical past of Liverpool gamers on the European Championship
