England team news ‘leaked’ as Gareth Southgate drops star for Slovakia

Manchester United’s Kobbie Mainoo is reportedly set to start in England’s crucial Euro 2024 last 16 match against Slovakia on Sunday. The young midfielder made a strong impression during the second half of the disappointing goalless draw with Slovenia on Tuesday.

England boss Gareth Southgate has been grappling with finding the right balance in his midfield. He kicked off both of England’s games against Serbia and Denmark with Trent Alexander-Arnold alongside Declan Rice.

However, the Liverpool star, who usually plays at right-back, seemed out of sorts in the role and the experiment was abandoned ahead of the Slovenia game. Conor Gallagher stepped in for Alexander-Arnold but England struggled to control the midfield with the Chelsea player next to Rice.

Mainoo came on for Gallagher at half-time and seems to have done enough to earn a starting spot in England’s upcoming game. As per the Daily Telegraph, the 19 year old is expected to be in the starting line-up.

It remains uncertain who will make way for him, but Gallagher’s position appears shaky given his lacklustre performance against Slovenia. The former Crystal Palace loanee also carries a yellow card after being booked in the Denmark game.

There’s been a growing call for either Mainoo or Palace’s 20 year old midfielder Adam Wharton to get more playing time. Some fans and pundits are also suggesting a change in formation might help Southgate extract the best from his underperforming squad.

The 53 year old England boss, who led the team to the Euro 2020 final, was met with a shower of beer cups from unhappy supporters following the stalemate with Slovenia in Cologne. Yet, defender Marc Guehi has come out in strong support of Southgate.

“He has been fantastic for England. If you look at his record, it speaks for itself,” declared Guehi during Thursday’s press conference.

“Everyone is behind the manager and we have a really close tight-knit group just focused on the next group. Everyone appreciates him, especially me.”

“He gave me my debut for England and he’s showed so much confidence in me. I am really grateful and I’m sure the rest of the team is as well.”

Despite some lacklustre displays, England emerged as the leaders of Group C. They secured a narrow 1-0 victory over Serbia in Gelsenkirchen before being held to a 1-1 draw by Denmark in Frankfurt.

Mainoo had a standout debut season with Man Utd, capping it off with a goal in their FA Cup final win against arch-rivals Manchester City.