John Stones will sit out as he arrived late after the FA Cup final, so Crystal Palace centre-back Marc Guehi will start at centre-back, giving him a chance to play his way into Southgate’s team for Germany. When asked if Maguire will make the Euro 2024 opener against Serbia on June 16 in Gelsenkirchen, Southgate said: “We don’t know that at the moment.”
Southgate admits he cannot rely on players telling them how their injuries are healing when he makes his decision on his final 26-man squad on Saturday, with seven missing out on boarding the plane to Germany.
“They’re lying buggers really!” he said. “If you’re in a relegation battle, the treatment room is absolutely full. If you’re in a cup final it’s empty. I’ve learned that, from being here [at Middlesbrough], and playing cup finals as well. They have great intentions and are super positive, but equally they want to be on the plane, so have got to have a more in depth view than that. I’ll consult the players as little as possible.”
Southgate confirmed Kane is now in full training and will start later in the week. “He needed the first couple of days, but has trained fully since then,” he added.