- Gareth Southgate confirmed Kieran Trippier will captain England on Monday
- He has revealed five players are not in contention to feature in the friendly
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Gareth Southgate has revealed Kieran Trippier will captain England in the friendly against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The Three Lions will kick-off their preparations for the upcoming Euros by hosting the 74th ranked side at St James’ Park.
Newcastle defender Trippier will lead out the side in what will be his 47th cap, with the game taking place at his home stadium.
This will likely mean usual skipper Harry Kane will be rested following a recent back problem, and the likes of Ollie Watkins and Ivan Toney could be given an opportunity to impress before Southgate announces his final squad on June 8.
Southgate also confirmed he will be without five players for the game, with Manchester United duo Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw both not yet ready to play as they look to recover from injuries.
John Stones will also not be risked after joining up later than the majority of the squad following last weekend’s FA Cup final, while Bukayo Saka and Anthony Gordon will miss out.
Saka and Gordon both missed the final game of the Premier League season with fitness issues, although Southgate revealed that both players are progressing well and could be in contention to play Friday’s final friendly before this summer’s tournament against Iceland.
Southgate attempted to play down concerns over the fitness of several members of his squad, and called for his team to try and gain momentum by picking up positive results in their two friendly matches this week.
‘There’s reality on the constraints,’ he said when discussing England’s pre-tournament preparations. “
‘Four or five are not with us yet. But that’s normal. In Qatar, we didn’t have anyone until five days before the first game.
‘There’s a big physical aspect to what we’re looking at. We are looking to see some combinations and people in different positions. People with fewer caps playing in a brilliant atmosphere will be important. I’ve liked how they have trained. A brilliant mentality as well.
‘Results always matter. For me, it’s about playing well and building what we’ve been doing over the next five or six weeks. There are 43 days until the final, not every day will be great, not every hour will be perfect. But we’re working on principles and tomorrow is the first aspect to show that in public.’
The England boss admitted Maguire and Shaw are both unlikely to feature on Friday night either.
Shaw has not played since February, and Maguire has been sidelined for over two months as well.
If Southgate opts to take both in his final 26-man squad, they will be short on game time heading into England’s opening game against Serbia on June 16.