Fans will be relieved to see these big players back in training
Gareth Southgate’s England squad has received a huge boost after all 26 players took part in training this afternoon in Jena about 30km away from their base in Blankenhain.
The good news for Southgate’s men comes three days before their opening game of Euro 2024 against Serbia at Schalke’s Veltins Arena in Gelsenkirchen.
The manager and fans will be extra delighted to see Bukayo Saka, John Stones and Luke Shaw all take part in the training session, suggesting England might be close to a fully fit 26-man squad.
Going into this week all three had been doubts over whether they would be fit for the start of the tournament with Stones forced off at half-time against Iceland on Friday and Saka only fit enough for a 25-minute cameo.
Shaw has spent most of the season side-lined for Manchester United with a recurring hamstring problem. As England’s only true specialist left-back Southgate will be pleased to see his near return to fitness, although he is unlikely to start against Serbia.
Phil Foden and Jude Bellingham were also reported to have fitness question marks hanging over their heads.
The training sessions that took place at 15:30pm BST was live streamed by the BBC with fans and locals from around the area heading down to the Ernst-Abbe-Sportfeld in Jena to catch a glimpse of The Three Lions.
Fans could be heard chanting the names of Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham unsurprisingly as two of England’s most successful international stars to make the leap abroad.
The return of such important players will give Gareth Southgate plenty to think about for when he picks his starting eleven for England’s first game of Euro 2024 against Serbia on Sunday at 20:00 BST.
Related links:
- Pick your England XI for Euro 2024 opener
- Gareth Southgate drops strongest hint yet regarding who will start in England midfield
- Strange UEFA rule to appear at Euro 2024 after similar trick tried in Premier League
