Despite sitting top of their group with a game to go, England have had an underwhelming Euro 2024 tournament so far. They are undefeated but haven’t been at their best. Throughout the first two games, they’ve often found themselves on the back foot and were fortunate to come away from their encounter with Denmark with anything at all.
Gareth Southgate’s side have still qualified for the last 16 of the Euros, but there’s plenty to play for in their final group match against Slovenia. A good performance could be the difference between a favourable encounter and a tough showdown with the likes of Germany or Portugal. As a result, the nation needs a strong showing when they face off against Slovenia to close out Group C and Wayne Rooney has revealed the XI that he wants to take to the field when the Three Lions get that final game underway.
Wayne Rooney’s England XI
The former striker wants to make several changes
Ahead of the final group game, Rooney wants to see Southgate make a number of changes to how he sets his side up. Only one of those is personnel, though. Speaking to BBC Sport, the former Everton man has revealed that he would like to see Anthony Gordon moved into the starting lineup on the left wing. One of the biggest issues with Southgate’s men so far has been the lack of impact on the left-hand side. Phil Foden has had trouble out there, so Rooney would bring Gordon in to freshen things up.
The former Manchester United man would then move Foden into the number 10 role and have Jude Bellingham drop deeper into midfield and play alongside Declan Rice. Explaining his reasoning, Rooney said that he felt England’s issues so far have come from the former two occupying the same space on the pitch.
The rest of his XI is unchanged from the side that Southgate has turned to throughout the tournament so far. He’d have Jordan Pickford in goal, Kyle Walker, John Stones, Marc Guehi and Kieran Trippier in defence, Rice and Bellingham in midfield, with Bukayo Saka and Gordon on the wings and Foden playing directly behind Harry Kane.
He’d Drop Trent Alexander-Arnold
The Liverpool man hasn’t had a strong Euro 2024
The one player that Rooney would drop from the XI that has started England’s two Euro 2024 games so far is Trent Alexander-Arnold. The Liverpool man was brought in to play in the centre of the park, despite being a full-back with his club, and the experiment hasn’t been all too successful.
A large portion of fans and media have credited Alexander-Arnold’s presence in midfield for England’s struggles right now. It seems Southgate might have a similar opinion, with recent reports suggesting that the manager is set to drop the Liverpool man for Conor Gallagher when the Three Lions take on Slovenia in their final Group C match.