Sunday, December 22, 2024

England players ‘want Gareth Southgate to stay’ and feel he does not get credit he deserves

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Tom Heaton also played in the session after being called up as a 27th man to help the goalkeepers. The Manchester United keeper discussed the impact of Southgate on the squad, having made his England debut under Roy Hodgson.

“I predated Gareth, before he was England manager, and then I was there for quite a bit of his first few years, so I’ve seen him all the way through, really,” he said. “He’s just shifted the culture, really. I think he shifted the whole outlook, the whole feel from the country.

“He sort of brought everyone in together, so that’s how it’s changed. I think what that’s given the lads is a little bit of freedom to go and perform. I think we’ve seen that over the last few years. We’ve gone close, there’s been some really good performances and there’s a real good feel to the England team at the minute.”

Stones’ involvement in training was a huge boost for England ahead of their Euro opener against Serbia on Sunday in Gelsenkirchen. He limped out of the final warm-up match against Iceland and left Wembley with strapping on his ankle but has now trained fully. Saka’s recovery from a groin problem has been managed carefully but he was at full tilt during the drills in Jena.

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