ALAN SHEARER has named six players that should start for England at Euro 2024 this summer.
The Three Lions currently boast one of the best international squads in world football.
Bukayo Saka, Phil Foden, Jude Bellingham, Declan Rice, Ollie Watkins and Harry Kane are among the most in-form players in Europe right now and all four are expected to play a crucial role at the tournament.
However, questions have been raised about how Gareth Southgate will be able to fit them all into his starting line-up.
Former England striker Shearer has suggested a potential solution, but it would see all-time top scorer Kane move to a different position.
In his column for The Athletic, Shearer wrote: “I don’t expect Gareth to go for this approach but there are circumstances when it would be exactly what England needed.
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“Play Ollie Watkins in the No9 role. Kane can drop back into the No10 space, which we all know is a natural part of his game and one where he has been so key in creating for England, Tottenham and Bayern Munich.
“Bellingham would take up a deeper midfield position alongside Rice. Foden and Saka still cut in from out wide.
“Yes, it would be a first, as the two have never shared a pitch for England — but this season, Watkins is looking like the most improved player in the Premier League.
“He has 16 league goals already, his best top-flight return, with 11 games left to play. This is already the season of his life.
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“Some of the credit for that must go down to Unai Emery, who appears to have told Watkins to do the vast majority of his work between the width of the penalty area. It’s not genius but it certainly works.”
The Newcastle legend continued: “I always say that the one thing defenders hate doing is running back towards their own goal.
“That is exactly what Watkins makes you do because he is constantly running in behind them, a nightmare for them to play against.
“There is a little bit of Jermain Defoe to how he plays: he’s very intelligent with his movement, he’s got good feet, he’s quick and is always looking to find space in the box.”
Watkins has scored 21 goals and provided 10 assists in 37 appearances across all competitions for Aston Villa so far this season.
He is currently second in the Premier League Golden Boot race, just behind Erling Haaland.
Meanwhile, Kane is also in top form.
The England captain has scored a staggering 27 goals in 24 Bundesliga appearances since the start of the campaign.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
