- The Three Lions beat the Netherlands 2-1 to reach the final this weekend
- Alan Shearer praised several players before singling out his best performer
- LISTEN to It’s All Kicking Off! EUROS DAILY: Why you should believe England can beat Spain in the final
Alan Shearer has named Bukayo Saka as his pick for England’s best player at Euro 2024 and heaped praise on the forward for being a ‘breath of fresh air’.
Saka has caught the eye this summer, scoring one goal and registering one assist on the Three Lions’ rollercoaster route to the final against Spain on Sunday.
The forward found the net in the quarter-final victory against Switzerland, his superb, curling effort levelling the scores and forcing extra-time, and looked to have also added to his tally against the Netherlands before his strike was chalked off.
He is expected to keep his spot in Gareth Southgate‘s starting XI in Berlin and Shearer singled him out when asked to choose England’s player of the tournament.
‘When looking at who’s been England’s standout player, you have to mention a few,’ Shearer told Betfair. ‘Saka has been fantastic, Kobbie Mainoo, too. Everything about him, he has that aura, nothing seems to faze him.
‘We all thought England’s defence could be a weak point but it hasn’t, Marc Guehi has had a really good tournament alongside John Stones.
‘Jordan Pickford deserves a mention too, not only for his penalty save, but because he’s made some big saves in big games.
‘I have to say though, Bukayo Saka is my player of the tournament. He’s had a wonderful tournament, he’s a breath of fresh air and everyone loves him.
‘Let’s hope he has another magical moment on Sunday.’
Taking to social media shortly after the final whistle on Wednesday, Arsenal man Saka shared a brief 11-word message in a bid to rally supporters.
‘This team! Book your flights, people… we’re in the final!’ he wrote on Instagram.
Southgate, meanwhile, has insisted it would be impossible for him to make a ‘logical’ decision on his future with England so close to the final.
His contract expires in December and he had indicated before the tournament that he would step down from the role if he did not lead his side to glory.
Asked how difficult it would be for him to walk away should the Three Lions win their first men’s trophy since 1966, Southgate told Sky News: ‘Nothing’s that difficult.
‘But emotionally it would be impossible for me to make a logical decision on any of that because my sole focus for two years has been winning this tournament.
‘The last five, six weeks have been an absolute rollercoaster, so I don’t know where I am with anything other than (being) focused on preparing the team for this game, and determined to keep leading them in the way we have over the last month.’