June 5th 2024.
Former England football player Gary Neville has shared his predictions for the front-three of England's national team at the upcoming Euro 2024 tournament. He believes that Chelsea star Cole Palmer, who was named Premier League's young player of the season, may not make the cut. Neville acknowledges that England's manager Gareth Southgate has a tough decision to make due to the abundance of attacking talent in the squad. The team will be aiming to win their first major trophy since 1966.
The Three Lions are led by prolific striker Harry Kane and have an exciting group of attackers including Bukayo Saka, Phil Foden, Jude Bellingham, and Palmer. Despite Palmer's impressive first season at Chelsea, where he scored 24 goals and made 13 assists, Neville believes he will likely start the tournament on the bench. The question remains whether he can force his way into the starting line-up.
Palmer's chances were not harmed as he put on a strong performance in England's recent warm-up game against Bosnia and Herzegovina, scoring his first international goal in a 3-0 win. However, Neville, who previously played for Manchester United and England, thinks that Southgate will go with Foden and Saka on either side of Kane.
Neville believes that unless there is a last-minute injury, Kane will undoubtedly lead the line for England after an impressive season with his new club, Bayern Munich. He also expects Saka, who helped his boyhood club Arsenal in another title challenge, to play on the right, while Foden, fresh from winning his sixth Premier League title, will slot in on the left.
Discussing the selection dilemma, Neville said, "The question is, how on earth can Gareth get all of them into his team and maintain some balance?" He added that Southgate doesn't base his decisions on popularity and that the recent win against Bosnia has only made things more confusing.
Neville believes that Kane's position at center-forward is secure, with Bellingham likely playing behind him as a No.10 in a midfield three. Saka, who usually plays on the right for both Arsenal and England, will continue in that position. However, with Foden being named Player of the Year, he is expected to start in his preferred position, which is Bellingham's central role. Neville thinks that Foden may have to play on the left, a role he sometimes takes up for Manchester City.
The former footballer noted that England has three talented left-footed wingers, including Palmer, but most players prefer to be inverted wingers these days. Therefore, Foden is likely to fill the left-sided role, as he does for City at times.
While Neville believes that Palmer may start on the bench, he thinks that the youngster has the potential to make himself a key player in the team, just like a teenage Michael Owen did in the 1998 World Cup. He added, "Most defenders won't have played against him yet." However, Neville also acknowledged that Southgate is not swayed by popular opinion and will stick to his decisions. He believes that Foden will start on the left, and at least one more defensively-minded midfielder will also be in the starting line-up.
England's first match of the Euro 2024 tournament is on July 16 against Serbia, followed by games against Denmark and Slovenia in Group C. They will be looking to progress to the knockout stages with ease. Fans can expect to see their dream midfield trio of Foden, Bellingham, and Rice in action, but they may have to wait for it to happen.
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