Gareth Southgate picks England’s four-man leadership team for Euro 2024 as two stars join Harry Kane and Kyle Walker
JUDE BELLINGHAM has been selected as part of a four-man leadership group for England.
Boss Gareth Southgate wants a player who is in touch with the younger members of his 26-man squad.
Real Madrid superstar Bellingham, 20, has got the nod, joining Declan Rice, vice-captain Kyle Walker and skipper Harry Kane in the quartet.
Southgate said: “We’ve put a small leadership group together for this tournament now with Harry, Kyle, Declan Rice and Jude Bellignham
“Because there is a different dynamic to this group, there’s a lot of younger players.
“I want to make sure the voices of the younger players, that I’m really in touch with that as well.
“I don’t want to leave here with any stone unturned, I don’t want to have missed anything.
“It’s always important to know what the players are thinking, they have good views, they have good experiences.
“Also there will be some decisions that I will take without talking to any of them.”
Bellingham only turns 21 in a fortnight but has a wealth of experience already.
England Euro 2024 guide
GARETH SOUTHGATE is under no illusions coming into this competition – it is win or bust.
The Three Lions have never had a better opportunity to end their 58-year wait for a major international trophy given the talent and experience they have in their armoury.
MANAGER: Gareth Southgate
The former England star has come closer than anyone since Sir Alf Ramsey to ending the Three Lions’ trophy hoodoo.
Southgate is aware that the nations expects, and has even suggested he will quit if he doesn’t deliver the European Championship.
STAR MAN: Jude Bellingham
The Real Madrid star is arguably the world’s best player at the moment and gives England the platform they need to dominate big games.
How England attack
England will look to dominate the ball against almost everybody.
Declan Rice is crucial in progressing the ball, Bellingham, Saka and Foden will rotate to pull defenders out of position and Kane can both score and drop deep to provide chances for others.
How England defend
England press man-to-man with the midfield pushing up to support Kane when the ball is lost and look to win it as close to the opposition goal as possible.
However, the left-back spot could be a cause for concern, particularly with Luke Shaw entering the tournament with fitness worries.
Read the full England Euro 2024 guide here, including predicted line-ups, odds and Wags.
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He won the Champions League and the La Liga this term in his maiden season with Real, and was also named the Spanish league’s best player.
The former Borussia Dortmund midfielder also has 29 caps and three goals for his country and is set to play a huge role at this summer’s Euros, starting with tonight’s opener against Serbia in Gelsenkirchen.
Southgate added: “I want the opinions of the four boys but also they are involved with different age groups in the squad.
“They’ll be able to pick up what’s going on with different areas of the squad. We’ve got 26, it’s not easy to keep track of how everybody is every day.
“I think you want to open up that dialogue. Sometimes with younger players they are normally going to be a little bit more reluctant to approach the manager and talk about what they are thinking.
“You want a sense-check over what’s going on on the ground.
“For those two boys Bellingham and Rice, they’re leaders, the squad is taking on a younger dynamic and so it’s important that they start to embrace more responsibility in those areas.
“It shouldn’t just be for the older players to lead. A lot of our younger players have a lot of caps and a lot of big-match experience.
“I could have put more into the group, but I think four is enough. We’ll meet regularly and feed back on everything.”
EURO 2024 LIVE: LATEST UPDATES FROM THE TOURNAMENT
Meet England's Euro 2024 Wags
England Wags range from childhood sweethearts to recently blossoming love stories.
Katie Goodland (Harry Kane’s wife)
The fitness instructor has been married to the England captain since 2019 and joined him in Germany with their four children after he joined Bayern Munich.
Laura Celia Valk (Jude Bellingham’s girlfriend)
The stunning Dutch model, 25, has more than half a million Instagram followers and is said to be absolutely smitten with the Real Madrid star.
Rebecca Cooke (Phil Foden’s girlfriend)
Foden’s childhood sweetheart and the mother of his two kids tends to keep out of the spotlight, but is a regular at England games.
Dani Dyer (Jarrod Bowen’s girlfriend)
England’s most famous Wag, former Love Island winner and daughter of Eastenders’ Danny Dyer.
Iris Law (Trent Alexander-Arnold’s girlfriend)
Dani Dyer isn’t the only actor’s daughter dating an England star. Iris’ dad is Hollywood legend Jude Law.
Megan Davison (Jordan Pickford’s wife)
Megan has been with Pickford since he was 14 years old. The couple married in 2022 and have one son.
Olivia Naylor (John Stones’ girlfriend)
The 33-year-old former beautician has stepped back from her role after giving birth to a baby son.
Read more about the Wags who will be supporting England at Euro 2024 here