Alan Shearer, Micah Richards & Gary Lineker pick England's Euro 2024 starting lineups | OneFootball

Highlights

England have qualified for Euro 2024 in Germany. And between now and then, many fans and pundits alike will be attempting to muster up an XI that Gareth Southgate is likely to pick. Of course, it’s in the hands of the former Middlesbrough ace and, as we’ve seen in the past, that's not always a good thing.

Southgate’s side enjoyed a flawless group stage triumph, which saw them accrue 20 points from eight games with both draws coming against North Macedonia and Ukraine. Having almost reached the promised land last time out, the Three Lions will be keen to add the international showpiece to their trophy cabinet. They will be given a boost in confidence on the back of doing the trouble over last edition’s winners Italy in the group stages, but will understand that England’s curious case of falling at the last hurdle in major competitions must come to an end at some point.

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Picking the strongest XI out of a squad that oozes talent is an onerous task, of course, and so we’re happy that it’s Southgate’s prerogative and not ours. But that hasn’t stopped Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer, and Micah Richards from giving it their best shot on their latest episode of their podcast ‘The Rest is Football’. A quick caveat: the popular trio were restricted to picking Englishmen that had been called up for their November fixtures against Malta and/or North Macedonia.

Gary Lineker

Pickford, Walker; Stones; Guehi; Trippier, Bellingham; Rice; Maddison, Saka; Kane; Foden.

Southgate’s usual choice between the sticks, unsurprisingly, makes the cut, while Manchester City ace Kyle Walker resumes his typical spot at right back. On the other side is make-shift left-back Kieran Trippier, a right-back by trade, and that makes sense given both Luke Shaw and Ben Chilwell are out of action currently.

Interestingly, Harry Maguire is omitted from the former Barcelona striker’s side and Marc Guehi, captain of Crystal Palace, comes in instead. The London-born star is rather inexperienced for England, having made only nine appearances and so starting him at such a prestigious tournament would be a risk – but it may be one that Southgate and his team are willing to take a punt on.

Deploying Jude Bellingham in one of the deeper central midfield berths is the way to go for Lineker, however, despite his promising exploits in a more advanced role. North London duo Declan Rice and James Maddison, albeit on different sides at club level, complete the midfield trio, with the latter more likely to join the attack and spruce the forward three into life.

But who may that be in Lineker’s eyes? England’s all-time top goalscorer, Harry Kane, a failed Manchester United target, has been firing on all cylinders for his new employers, Bayern Munich, and his reliability makes him a shoo-in for Euro 2024. Lineker believes it should be Bukayo Saka joining him on the right and Phil Foden on the left.

Alan Shearer

Pickford, Walker; Stones; Maguire; Trippier, Rice; Bellingham; Foden, Saka; Kane; Grealish

Pickford gets the nod again – but no surprise there. As is Walker’s inclusion, whose speed and high IQ makes him an absolute nuisance to play against, with both being crucial aspects to how Southgate’s defence performs. Alongside him – in Shearer’s selections - is his club teammate John Stones, who has 69 England appearances under his belt at the time of writing.

Joining the Barnsley-born gem in the heart of the England defence would be Maguire. The former Manchester United captain has enjoyed an upturn in form for the Red Devils in recent times and has been omnipresent for his nation in both competitive and non-competitive aspects. The formidable partnership of Stones and Maguire cannot be understated and, as such, it’ll likely be the duo we see in Germany next summer.

Shearer, included in Newcastle United’s most used Premier League XI, agrees with Lineker by placing both Rice and Bellingham in the middle with the former deployed in a single pivot, used to screen the back four while allowing the Real Madrid man, the ninth best footballer from 2023, to maraud forward and join in attacks.

From one perennial goalscorer to another, none other than Kane is leading the line in Shearer’s prospective England side, given how integral the 30-year-old marksman is to almost everything they do. Like Lineker, the Newcastle-born pundit opts for Saka on the right flank but chooses Foden’s Manchester City teammate Jack Grealish on the left instead. Brandished the nicest man in football, the former Aston Villa ace could play a massive part in England’s hopes of adding to their threadbare trophy haul.

Micah Richards

Pickford, Walker; Stones; Guehi; Trippier, Alexander-Arnold; Rice; Bellingham, Saka; Kane; Grealish

Between the sticks is Pickford, obviously. Given the success the Everton stopper has endured for England, there’s no other viable option is there really? The trio of Aaron Ramsdale, Nick Pope, and Sam Johnstone are all there or thereabouts, but Southgate’s affinity for Pickford may begin to become a problem.

Richards’ back line is the very same as Lineker’s as he makes the shock decision of opting for Guehi over England regular Maguire. As well as Guehi has performed in south London, Maguire’s presence on the international stage coupled with his ‘unbelievable redemption arc’ surely make him one of the first names on the team sheet. Walker, Stones and Trippier are the three-man band that join the Palace stalwart in the former Manchester City defender’s team.

The midfield is where it starts to become really interesting. Had you noticed that neither Lineker nor Shearer had chosen Trent Alexander-Arnold at all? Well, Richards has – but in the centre midfield role. Of course, the Liverpool-born ace is no stranger to the inverted full-back role, but to throw him in at the deep end at a prime opportunity for England to get their hands on some silverware would be an odd move.

Bellingham and Rice would line up alongside Alexander-Arnold in the engine room. Both are seemingly nailed on starters in Southgate’s pursuit of Euro 2024 glory, though Richards believes that Bellingham will be allowed to play further forward in the attacking midfielder berth, a position he has made his own in the Spanish capital.

To finish of his team, England captain Kane resumes his usual position in the sole striker berth, while Arsenal’s Saka – the most expensive 22-year-old in world football – would be tasked with delivering pinpoint balls to the Bavaria man if Richards was manager. He does, however, snub his pal Foden on the left wing and instead would bring in Grealish.