Alan Shearer leaves Alexander-Arnold and Mainoo out of his England XI for Euro 2024

Former England international and Newcastle United legend Alan Shearer has named an attacking XI when asked who he would select for the Three Lions’ first game of Euro 2024.

Having struggled in their most recent friendly against Iceland, many pundits have come up with some questionable solutions to Gareth Southgate’s ongoing dilemmas. Former Sky Sports presenter Jeff Stelling picked a team that didn’t include the likes of John Stones, Bukayo Saka or Phil Foden, to the bemusement of many.

Thankfully, Shearer, who represented England 63 times, has named all three stars that Stelling omitted from his team in an episode of The Rest is Football and has picked a group that will no doubt have goals on their mind. However, he chose not to start Trent Alexander-Arnold or Kobbie Mainoo, two players who could be a midfield option for the Three Lions in Germany.

Goalkeeper and Defence

Stones features despite injury concerns

In his predicted backline, Shearer has opted for the five players who many expect to start against Serbia on Sunday. Jordan Pickford is the nation’s undisputed number one thanks to his previous tournament heroics and a fantastic season at Everton where he finished second in the golden glove standings.

Kyle Walker remains one of the best defenders in the competition at the age of 34, and is expected to line-up on the right with Kieran Trippier occupying the left in the absence of an injured Luke Shaw. In the middle, John Stones is expected to lead the back four as long as he is fit, with the final spot in defence up for grabs due to Harry Maguire’s removal from the squad.

While the likes of Ezri Konsa and Lewis Dunk could fill the void, many, including Shearer, expect that Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi will be chosen to partner Stones come kick-off.

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Midfield

Phil Foden is chosen to play in a central role

The most eyebrow-raising call that the Match of the Day pundit has made is his decision to play Phil Foden as the most advanced player in a midfield three. The 23-year-old has featured more prominently out wide for his country, despite calls for him to take up a central position more akin to the one he operates in for Manchester City. Southgate has insisted that Foden cannot play in this role for the Three Lions, but it is clear Shearer disagrees.

Behind him sit Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham. Both stars have had amazing debut seasons at their new club’s and have proven they are world-class talents. In the case of the latter, sitting behind Foden could mean that the Real Madrid man is less able to showcase his goalscoring instincts.

Alternatively, Bellingham could be given the license to go and support the four-man attack ahead of him in Shearer’s team. England were unable to break down a stubborn Icelandic team last time out, so perhaps adding a higher number of attacking talent could mitigate this problem and prevent it from happening when it matters most.

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Attack

Anthony Gordon gets the nod on the left

Newcastle forward Anthony Gordon was brutally honest in his assessment following the defeat to Iceland last Friday, calling it a wake-up call for a complacent Three Lions. It is this passion, perhaps, that sees Shearer favour him on the left-hand side rather than the likes of Eberechi Eze, who played himself into contention with some impressive cameos across the two games.

The former Evertonian would be the least experienced international in the starting XI, but is supported in attack by two of the country’s biggest dangermen. Fitness concerns do cast some doubt on the availability of both Bukayo Saka and Harry Kane. The former only managed a 25-minute substitute appearance across the two warm-up friendlies. Meanwhile, the England captain has not managed to play 90 minutes of football in over a month.

However, with both men coming off the back of stellar campaigns, albeit ones that left them empty-handed, the chances are Southgate will go with what he knows, exactly how Shearer has predicted. Should injury rule either one of them out though, the pressure will be on the likes of Cole Palmer, Jarrod Bowen, Ollie Watkins and Ivan Toney to fill the incredibly large void that would be left.

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