Euro 2024

COLE PALMER is the latest England hopeful to make an impression on Gareth Southgate and state his case to go to the Euros.His audition featured a goal and assist in Monday night’s 3-2 win over Newcastle.Cole Palmer (right) celebrates his goal against NewcastleCredit: GettyThe in-form Chelsea star scored one and made one on Monday nightCredit: GettyIt follows on from calls for Ross Barkley, Conor Gallagher, Kobbie Mainoo, Tino Livramento, Ivan Toney and Jarrod Bowen to get a place in the 23-man squad off to Germany this summer.Jack Butland, Raheem Sterling, Rico Lewis, Eberechi Eze and James Ward-Prowse are not out of the running yet, either.Each week we are told a new player simply must be included.But, for Southgate, it is not  a case of just getting a bigger plane. He cannot take them all.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLUnlike the last two tournaments, where managers could pick  26-man squads following the pandemic, Euro 2024 will see that number  back to 23.Added to the fact Southgate has a settled group of senior, tournament-hardened players  and fitting in talents like Palmer becomes quite the headache.The ex-Manchester City man only made the squad in November following injuries to James Maddison and Jude Bellingham, making his debut against Malta.But his performances for Chelsea, 11 Prem goals and eight assists across a fairly miserable Stamford Bridge season, cannot be ignored.Most read in FootballCHELTENHAM BETTING OFFERS – BEST FREE BET DEALS FOR THE FESTIVAL While many of his new teammates are struggling to settle, midfielder Palmer walked out on the Premier League champions, swaggered into the spotlight in West London and has shone.Palmer, 21, has proved a game changer as boss Mauricio Pochettino battles to steer the Blues on the right course.How does Gareth Southgate solve Phil Foden dilemma, with Jack Grealish possibly missing out on Euro 2024And that bodes well for tournament football.But does that mean that he  is a better option than Jack Grealish or Marcus Rashford for boss Southgate?Palmer has certainly had a better individual season than both, but Southgate surely will not leave those two behind.On form, Palmer is the pick, but Grealish and Rashford can both make a bigger impact on their day and have a wealth of tournament experience.This summer would be Rashford’s fifth European Championship or World Cup appearance and Grealish’s third.With England under pressure to deliver a trophy in what could be Southgate’s final flourish, he will want players he can trust.Sterling’s England exile, having not been included in a squad since the World Cup in Qatar, certainly helps Palmer — but still it is a tight squeeze.England’s next squad will be announced on Thursday at 2pm.The Three Lions have an array of attacking talent, while Southgate’s habit of  taking every right-back playing in England also reduces the number of places available.What a player he is. The confidence that he shows in every moment of the game, you can see he is so relaxed and he knows his ability. Trevoh Chalobah on PalmerIn the forward line there are already a number of dead certs to be in the squad.  Phil Foden, Bukayo Saka, Harry Kane and, arguably, Ollie Watkins as the England captain’s understudy.Does Palmer deserve to go to Germany ahead of someone like Maddison? Probably not.Lay it out in the barest terms and what initially seems like an obvious case for Palmer, starts to diminish.It would be fantastic to have a player of his quality there, though it is always a sign of strength if England can leave players like him at home.For what it is worth, Palmer’s Chelsea team-mates believe he should be on the plane.Blues centre-half Trevoh Chalobah said after the win over Newcastle: “Most definitely.READ MORE SUN STORIES“He is up there producing every week, so why not?“What a player he is. The confidence that he shows in every moment of the game, you can see he is so relaxed and he knows his ability. That is the kind of player we need.” More

GARY LINEKER revealed the three young England stars he is tipping to make it into Gareth Southgate’s Euro 2024 squad. Southgate is due to make his final selection just before the tournament kicks off in June in Germany.
Gary Lineker revealed his tips to make England’s Euro 2024 squadCredit: YouTube / The Res Is Football
And England legend Lineker was asked which players – not yet capped at senior level – would he pick to board the plane.
He said on The Rest is Football: “Blimey, put me on the spot there! I think maybe (Jarrard) Branthwaite from Everton, I think he has got a chance.
“I think it’s just an area of the team that Gareth might give someone a chance.
“I know Cole Palmer’s already been I think in the England squad and played, so it doesn’t quite count. But I think he’s got a real chance of making the squad.
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“And I will go with Kobbie Mainoo as the other one because he has impressed me so much. I mean he’s so young obviously, I think he’s just 18.
“So, to do what he’s doing is quite remarkable at a club like Man United, so I think he might just sneak in.”
Here, SunSport looks at the budding trio picked out by Lineker.
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Jarrad Branthwaite
The defender, 21, has emerged as one of the brightest centre-backs in the Premier League and attracted heavy transfer interest from top clubs.
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He has made 29 appearances with two goals to his name and represented England at Under 20 and U21 level.
Southgate has chopped and changed his centre-back pairings in recent years but left-footed Branthwaite looks to be a strong new candidate.
Jarrad Branthwaite is tipped to make England’s squadCredit: Getty
Cole Palmer
The playmaker, 21, has been a rare spark in Chelsea’s dark season since making his £45million move from Manchester City.
He has 12 goals in his 30 Blues games this season and has shown versatility playing both out on the right and through the middle.
Palmer has two senior England caps but faces heavy competition in the wide and central Three Lions positions.
Cole Palmer has shined for Chelsea this seasonCredit: Getty
Kobbie Mainoo
The teenager has proved a sensation in United’s midfield this season and is already being compared to legendary names like Clarence Seedorf.
Mainoo has 16 first-team appearances this season and recently scored a last-gasp winner against Aston Villa.
Many predict Mainoo will have a similar rise to Jude Bellingham and are already pitting the two to form a formidable partnership.
Kobbie Mainoo is tipped as a future England starCredit: Getty More

AARON RAMSEY is refusing to give up on his Euro 2024 dream.The Wales skipper is out with a calf injury and his Cardiff boss Erol Bulut last week ruled out for between four and six weeks.
Ramsey’s injury is not as bad as first fearedCredit: Getty
That looked set to rule the ex-Arsenal and Juventus star, 33, out of the Dragons’ Euros play-off semi-final with Finland in Cardiff on March 21.
But midfielder Ramsey will keep fighting in a bid to be fit for the Cardiff City Stadium showdown next month with Wales just two possible wins away from the Germany finals.
SunSport understands the injury, sustained in training with the Championship outfit less than two weeks ago, is not as bad as first thought.
And that has given Ramsey a glimmer of hope.
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But, despite the boost, Ramsey still faces a real race against time to be available for the semi-final with a potential final against either Poland or Estonia in the Welsh capital five days later.
Ramsey is giving everything in a bid to be ready and will work alongside physio Sean Connelly, who is based at the Vale of Glamorgan HQ where Cardiff and Wales both share a base.
He could be available for that play-off camp but is unlikely to have had any match action before the international break.
And, considering he had only returned with two appearances since a knee injury which kept him out for five months, Ramsey’s lack of game time would be a major risk.
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But the possibility of Ramsey, who has played at two Euros finals and the World Cup, being available would be a major boost for boss Robert Page.
His experience, leadership, big game mentality and composure are all viewed as assets for a young Welsh squad including the likes of Brennan Johnson, 22, Ethan Ampadu, 23, and Jordan James, 19 as Wales bid to qualify for a third straight Euros finals.
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JARROD BOWEN should start ahead of Bukayo Saka for England this month.Arsenal fans will be choking with fury or laughter at the suggestion that the West Ham forward could be preferred to their golden boy.
Jarrod Bowen is gunning for an England start after hitting the goal trail againCredit: Getty
Bukayo Saka is one of Gareth Southgate’s most important playersCredit: 2023 The FA
But there are very good reasons why Bowen deserves the chance to show what he can do against Brazil and Belgium.
And why Three Lions Gareth Southgate should consider giving Saka a bit of a breather ahead of a big few months for club and country.
Bowen’s hat-trick against Brentford made him the top-scoring Englishman in the Premier League with 14, level with Ollie Watkins and Dominic Solanke and just one behind overall leader Erling Haaland.
When you add the 27-year-old’s workrate, fitness and desire to that raw statistic, Bowen cannot be left out of Southgate’s squad for the last friendlies before he names his longlist for Euro 2024.
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But why should Bowen start ahead of Saka? Because Southgate and the whole world know the Arsenal star’s qualities.
Because only injury will prevent him starting for England in their opening game against Serbia on June 16.
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And because the 22-year-old is more likely to get injured before the Three Lions head to Germany if he isn’t managed carefully after the amount he has played in the last three and a half years.
Saka has featured in 133 of Arsenal’s last 140 Premier League games, starting 128 of them. 
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No doubt Saka wants to play every minute. No doubt, either, that Gunners boss Mikel Arteta would love him to take it easy ahead of the final push for glory.
But it also makes sense.
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What if Saka DOES get injured? Based on form and characteristics, left-footed Bowen is the obvious choice to play on the right of the attacking three behind Harry Kane.
“What about Phil Foden?”, Manchester City and England fans will cry.
Bowen’s goal stats alone put him among the top players in the Prem this season
The numbers suggest Saka is undroppable
Well, Southgate does need to work out where Foden, who is also having an outstanding season, fits into his team.
But could that be, should that be, on the left wing, rather than the right?
That’s where Foden played in the World Cup in Qatar, where he claimed he gave his best performance in an England shirt against Senegal in the last 16. 
It would be useful to see whether he could again perform well in that position against top opposition like Brazil and Belgium. 
Neither Marcus Rashford nor Jack Grealish is making a strong case to occupy that left-sided berth in Southgate’s first 11.
And neither of them deserves to go to Germany or play ahead of Bowen, based on the season so far.
Bowen has 16 goal involvements in the Premier League, to Rashford’s eight and Grealish’s four.
The West Ham man has created as many big chance as Rashford (six) and more than Grealish (three). Bowen works harder off the ball, too, with 30 tackles compared to the Manchester United man’s 13 and the City star’s 12.
Rashford has had a poor season so far compared to the heights he hit last year
Grealish is another England star who will be hoping for an upturn in form ahead of the Euros
The big question is whether Bowen is an international class player.
The honest answer is: we don’t know for sure, and nor does Southgate.
The England boss gave Bowen his international debut in a Nations League game in Hungary in June 2022.
It’s fair to say he didn’t grab the opportunity with both hands. But he was playing in an under-strength, experimental England team that individually and collectively deserved the 1-0 defeat they received.
A wretched campaign unfolded, with fans turning on Southgate to such an extent that he thought about quitting before the World Cup.
Bowen was hooked at half-time of the humiliating 4-0 home defeat by Hungary but it was hardly the best environment for a player who had never represented his country at any level before.
He was left out of the squad for Qatar and was not picked again until last October when he played the full 90 minutes in the friendly against Australia.
Bowen did not pull up any trees in that game. But again, it was a much-changed England team that featured arguably none of Southgate’s first-choice 11.
Foden has been superb this year and could take the left-sided slot
Palmer has hit the ground running in West London and is in with a shout for a starting spot in the friendlies
If nothing else, West Ham’s main man deserves the chance to show what he can do if he lines up in a stronger Three Lions line-up.
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West Ham boss David Moyes wouldn’t like it, but you can make the argument that Bowen should start both matches. Or at least one, maybe with Chelsea’s Cole Palmer given his head in the other.
And if that means Saka sitting out one or both of them, so be it. More