GARETH SOUTHGATE’s England troops were fully suited and booted for their final Euro 2020 photoshoot.
The Three Lions will kick off their campaign at Wembley on Sunday afternoon, locking horns with Croatia in front of 22,500 fans.
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And the players will be decked out in Marks and Spencer’s finest suits before they make their way to the pitch.
Snaps of the team’s final pre-tournament photoshoot at St. George’s Park were released this weekend.
The players looked sharp in their navy suits, which were accompanied by white shirts and brown shoes.
A nice navy tie – which featured red and white stripes – completed the dashing get-up.
Most of the players had no issue assembling their outfits, although that wasn’t the case for Aston Villa skipper Jack Grealish.
Grealish had to enlist the help of Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson to fix his tie.
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Manchester City winger Phil Foden also appeared to have trouble putting on his tie, although he eventually managed to get it on.
Southgate’s men were all smiles as they got ready for the shoot, which saw several players receive their first physical caps.
Ben White, Kalvin Phillips, Ben Chilwell and Jadon Sancho were all caught with red caps in hand and couldn’t contain their delight.
Southgate, on the other hand, was stoic for large portions of the shoot – although he did manage to crack a small smile for a lone photo.
The former England international looked just as sharp as his players, although his outfit was missing one key piece of attire.
The unforgettable waistcoat of the 2018 World Cup failed to make an appearance in any of his photos.
Southgate, 50, ditched the iconic piece of M&S apparel for England’s recent friendlies with Austria and Romania, opting instead to wear a polo shirt underneath a blazer.
The combination caused a stir on social media, with one England fan tweeting: “Southgate tryna make the polo shirt //suit jacket a look, sickening.”
Another said: “Gareth Southgate’s jacket over polo shirt look is not elite.”
And another said: Why tf is Southgate wearing a polo shirt under his blazer?”
Revenge will be no doubt be on the mind of Southgate’s men on Sunday afternoon.
Three Lions were eliminated by the Kockasti in the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup in Russia, suffering a 2-1 defeat after extra time.
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But assistant boss Steve Holland reckons the pain of that defeat in Moscow has strengthened the resolve of the squad.
He said: “We are now in a different moment. We also have a lot of younger players who are coming from our top clubs. I already mentioned the Champions League final.
“The team in Russia was fairly inexperienced. This will be a younger team in terms of actual statistics of age.
“I think the core of that group should be better as a consequence of Russia.
“We have shown great faith in the guys from an early age and the challenge is there for them to make the next step.
“If they can make the next step, there is no reason to believe we should not be in a better position.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
