England to 'make a change' in midfield and replace Trent Alexander-Arnold | OneFootball

Conor Gallagher is in line to replace Trent Alexander-Arnold for England's clash with Slovenia on Tuesday, according to reports.

Gareth Southgate's Three Lions will qualify for the last 16 of Euro 2024 as winners of Group C with a victory in Cologne, having accrued four points from their opening two matches.

Though they currently sit top of the group, England's performances to this point have been torn to shreds by pundits and fans alike, with particular emphasis on Southgate's use of right-back Alexander-Arnold as a central midfielder.

Following Thursday's 1-1 draw against Denmark, Southgate admitted this was an 'experiment' which was designed to help fill the void left by Kalvin Phillips, who has tumbled out of the England setup since his successful Euro 2020 campaign.

The Athletic report that Southgate will bite the bullet and take Alexander-Arnold out of the firing line for their final group stage match with Slovenia, and Gallagher, who has replaced the Liverpool star in both of England's Euro 2024 games to this point, will be the playe to take his place.

Gallagher has come off the bench twice already at Euro 2024 / Stefan Matzke - sampics/GettyImages

There had been calls for either Manchester United's Kobbie Mainoo or Crystal Palace's Adam Wharton to start alongside Declan Rice in midfield instead, but Southgate appears to have opted against selecting either of the teenage duo in favour of a slightly more experienced option.

Gallagher, who turned 24 in February, has already played 217 senior club matches as well as 15 games for England in his career, while he captained Chelsea 30 times during the 2023/24 season.

Southgate has been noted for changing his starting XI at major tournaments during the third and final group stage match, with further amendments coming in the knockout stage of those campaigns.

Meanwhile, England have been boosted by the return of Luke Shaw to full training, with all 26 players in the squad participating in Monday's session.