England’s upcoming friendlies against Brazil and Belgium are fast approaching. They will be Gareth Southgate’s last chance to test out new players before the final selection in June. These two high-profile games at Wembley will go some way to answering the question on the lips of many a football fan: who will make the final Euro 2024 England squad?
Here we look at some potential surprise inclusions, along with more familiar names who find themselves at risk of omission next summer. We also have the latest selected odds regarding who will make the final Euro 2024 England squad.
March 2024 predicted England lineup – Our call
November’s international break was not the most fruitful for England. The Three Lions were uninspiring in victory over Malta, and only managed three shots on target all game, and were held to a drab draw by North Macedonia after Rico Lewis gave away a penalty.
Manager Gareth Southgate has been under a lot of scrutiny, both for his side’s bland performances of late, and his continued selections of trusted lieutenants Kalvin Phillips and Jordan Henderson, despite other players massively outperforming them at club level.
Predicted XI:
Jordan Pickford; Kyle Walker, John Stones, Harry Maguire, Ben Chilwell: Declan Rice, Conor Gallagher; Bukayo Saka, Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden; Harry Kane.
Substitutes:
Sam Johnstone, Aaron Ramsdale, Kieran Trippier, Fikayo Tomori, Ezri Konsa, Jarrad Branthwaite, Rico Lewis, Jordan Henderson, Cole Palmer, Marcus Rashford, Jarrod Bowen, Ollie Watkins.
March 2024 predicted England lineup – Players in focus
Here are our players in focus and their current chances of Euro 2024 inclusion, with odds shown in brackets.
Potential ins:
Jarrad Branthwaite (2/1)
Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite has made quite the impression in his first full Premier League campaign.
The 21-year-old centre-back spent a year on loan at PSV Eindhoven last season, but looks unflappable at the back for the Toffees this campaign, and his partnership with veteran James Tarkowski is a big part of why Everton are currently clear of the relegation zone, despite their points deduction.
Branthwaite has admirers outside of Goodison Park too. Alan Shearer recently said, following his equaliser against Brighton last weekend, that “with performances like this, an England call-up can’t be too far away”, with his odds of making the Euros squad being slashed to 2/1 by the bookmakers, they seem to agree.
Branthwaite is cool under pressure, tall, physically strong and reads the game very well. Southgate may look to test Branthwaite out in this break to see if he is a potential successor to Harry Maguire in the England defence.
Kobbie Mainoo (5/4)
Manchester United may have lost to Fulham at the weekend, but their improved form in 2024 can in large part be attributed to Kobbie Mainoo becoming a mainstay in the Red Devils midfield.
The 18-year-old has confidence and decision making beyond his tender years, and has the ability to match. He is also a rare kind of footballer for England to produce. He is patient and probing in possession, always happy to receive the ball and escape pressure with subtle touches in deep areas.
Mainoo has made appearances for the under-19s previously, but we think he could make the leap here. The youngster represents a type of player missing in the England squad, and in most fans’ minds, is the perfect replacement for the ageing Jordan Henderson. Southgate fast-tracked Jude Bellingham at a similar age: could he do the same for Kobbie Mainoo?
Potential outs:
Fikayo Tomori (5/2)
After finally making the cut again in Gareth Southgate’s last squad, Tomori might just be the one to make way for Jarrad Branthwaite here, and be left out in the cold once again.
Tomori only played 46 minutes in the previous international break, and Southgate played him out of position at left-back.
Given how Southgate had previously passed over the AC Milan-based Chelsea academy graduate in previous squads, despite strong performances, there is a strong argument to be made that Southgate only included Tomori because of his left-footedness and ability to be used as an emergency left-back.
With Branthwaite also possessing a strong left boot, do not be surprised to see Tomori sent back to square one.
Jordan Henderson (8/11)
Despite being a core member of the England side that delivered the best tournament outcomes in decades, Jordan Henderson has long been a target of England supporters’ frustrations.
Henderson has never been the most technically-gifted player, but made up for it with determination, leadership, intelligence and hard-work.
But eyebrows were seriously raised when Southgate continued to select Henderson in the Autumn international breaks, despite him playing in a far inferior league in Saudi Arabia following a summer move.
Henderson has since moved to Ajax, and has largely been uninspiring. But Southgate clearly trusts the midfielder deeply, and was spotted watching him in Amsterdam in recent weeks. Do not be surprised if he is called up once more.
