With Gareth Southgate closing in on naming his 23-man group for the tournament in Germany, GOAL has tried to steer him in the right direction
The road to Euro 2024 is almost over for England. The next time the Three Lions convene, they will do so for two pre-tournament friendlies before heading off to Germany, most likely as tournament favourites. It's been a long time since the pressure was so great.
It's not clear exactly how Gareth Southgate will go about naming his final squad for the Euros, but March's friendlies against Brazil and Belgium were likely the final chance for certain players to impress, at least in an international setting. As such, the England boss surely has an idea of which 23 players he will be selecting this summer.
But what would your England Euro 2024 squad be right now? That's the question nine GOAL writers and editors (Stephen Darwin, Krishan Davis, Mark Doyle, Richard Martin, Tom Maston, Matt O'Connor-Simpson, Amee Ruszkai, Joe Strange and James Westwood) have been grappling with in recent days, with each having individually put together the 23 players they would choose to take to Germany, as well as the line-up they would select for England's opening match against Serbia on June 16 if they were in Southgate's shoes.
We've tallied the results to put together GOAL's ideal England Euro 2024 squad – but have we got it right? Check out the selections below, and let us know in the comments at the bottom of the page…
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Jordan Pickford may have his doubters, but the Everton man has rarely let England down at big tournaments, and it should come as no surprise that all nine of our voters had him in their squads.
The battle for the back-up goalkeeper spots was more intense, but in the end it was two men who have barely played for a number of months who got the nod. Aaron Ramsdale's (five votes) demotion by Arsenal certainly doesn't seem to have done his standing any harm among our voters, while Nick Pope (four votes) also gets the nod despite having been out since December with a shoulder injury. The Newcastle man is scheduled to return in April, thus giving him just enough time to prove his fitness to Southgate ahead of the Euros.
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Southgate has a wealth of full-back options to choose from this summer, but right now there is no shortage of uncertainty surrounding many of them due to concerns over both fitness and form.
Right-back has long been a position of enviable depth for England, and three specialists were selected by all nine GOAL voters, as Kyle Walker, Kieran Trippier and Trent Alexander-Arnold made the cut. All three currently have injury clouds hanging over them, however, and Southgate will hope they all recover in time to be in contention this summer.
The same can be said of Luke Shaw, who snuck into our squad with five votes, despite there being fears that he might not play again for Manchester United this season. Southgate has voiced his concern over the left-back's injury issues, but enough of our voters are confident Shaw can be involved in Germany.
Ben Chilwell, meanwhile, garnered six votes despite some indifferent performances for both Chelsea and England in recent months, with Shaw's long-term absence having perhaps played a part in that thinking.
It should also be remembered that both Trippier and Alexander-Arnold have shown positional versatility in the past, while Walker and Shaw can also play as part of a back-three if required. Certainly, having players who are comfortable in a variety of positions is crucial for any tournament squad.
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Harry Maguire's place in the England hierarchy continues to be a topic for debate, and there were three of our voters who decided against selecting the Manchester United centre-back in their final squad. That wasn't enough, however, to keep him off our overall roster.
He is joined on there by John Stones, who received the maximum nine votes, as well as uncapped Everton youngster Jarrad Branthwaite, who has clearly done enough in the eyes of the five voters who picked him to leapfrog some of the more experienced options despite him having never played for his country.
That aforementioned versatility surely came into play, meanwhile, with the selection of Joe Gomez, who had been in the international wilderness for four years before being recalled by Southgate for the recent round of friendlies. Though nominally a centre-back, the Liverpool defender has excelled at both right and left-back this season, and thus could be a valuable asset this summer.
Getty ImagesMidfielders
It should come as no surprise that both Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice both received the maximum nine votes from our team, with the midfield duo having developed into two of the best players in their respective roles in world football.
Slightly more surprising is that James Maddison was also named on every single one of our voters' squads, though the Tottenham man has been a regular around the squad since the 2022 World Cup and has been enjoying a fine debut campaign in north London.
Perhaps the most eye-catching selection of our whole squad, however, came in the shape of Kobbie Mainoo, who also received votes from all nine of our team. The Manchester United teenager only earned his first senior call-up just over a week ago, but his performances against Brazil and Belgium, coupled with his displays for Erik ten Hag's side since breaking into the United first team in November, were enough to convince all involved that he needs to be on the plane.
Chelsea's Conor Gallagher rounds out our midfield group, as he earned six votes having been one of the Blues' more consistent performers over the course of the campaign.