England boss Southgate rejects calls for expanded squads
Gareth Southgate has rejected proposals to have expanded squads at the European Championships.
The England manager is closing in on the 23 players he will pick for the tournament and knows he will break the hearts of those who miss out.
But Southgate disagrees with calls to increase squad sizes due to the impact of coronavirus.
Players will head into the Euros after completing a condensed season, which has seen them have to play weekends and midweek for the majority of the campaign.
Southgate plans to give the Three Lions time off before the tournament but does not want an enlarged squad.
He said: “I know there is some discussion about perhaps an extended number in the squad. I am not certain I’m behind that.
“Covid could play a part but there is a skill to picking 23 and it means you’ve got to make good decisions and important decisions. Some of that can be lost as you get an extended group so let’s see how that develops but I’m not 100 per cent for that, I have to say.”
Southgate, however, is conscious of the workload his players will have been under by the time they reach the Euros.
He added: “Whether they will be able to go away is looking highly unlikely, but they need a rest period.”
England extended their perfect start to their World Cup qualifying campaign with a 2-1 win against Poland last night, thanks to a late strike by Harry Maguire.
Harry Kane had given the Three Lions the lead from the penalty spot in the first half but an error from John Stones gifted Jakub Moder an equaliser.
Southgate’s thoughts now turn to the Euros and finalising his squad, with Declan Rice and Kalvin Phillips all but guaranteeing their inclusion after establishing an impressive partnership in midfield.
“There are some young players doing some fantastic things,” said Southgate. “Kalvin has only had four or five internationals. Declan’s performances across the games, his reading of danger, the number of recoveries he gets in front of that back four, but also he used the ball, he drove forward with it well. You forget how young and inexperienced some of those young lads are. A lot of them are going to peak in two, four, six years’ time.”
Meanwhile, Maguire says it is every man for himself as England’s players try to convince Southgate to give them the call.
“You can only look after yourself,” he said. “You’ve got to make sure you are fit, ready — ready to be selected.
Gareth Southgate has "horrible conversations" with England stars over Euros places | @johncrossmirror https://t.co/D3FTxu7Du3 pic.twitter.com/ObACXdAbCv
— Mirror Football (@MirrorFootball) April 1, 2021
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“Prove to the manager you can play game after game. When it comes to the Euros, it’s game after game and if we want to go to the very end, it will be seven games in a short period of time.
“We’ve got a lot of players out injured and missing this camp, so we’ve got them to come back. It will only make us stronger and as an English player that makes it better.”