England coach Gareth Southgate is confident that fans will be captivated by the ‘different’ team he has assembled for this month’s European Championship in Germany.
The England team is full of attacking talent but lacks defensive experience, with Harry Maguire (Manchester United) and Jack Grealish (Manchester City) among the key absentees.
‘There is some disappointment, but there will be a lot of excitement about the players we have selected and how we are going to play,’ Southgate said on Thursday.
“I think people will be captivated by this selection. Some of the players have had very few opportunities to play at Wembley, which is extremely exciting for them. I try to respect players who haven’t had the chance to play at Wembley. But I’m also very excited about the squad,’ he added.
Injuries have affected the squad, with Maguire, who has 63 caps and seven goals for England, missing out with a muscle injury.
Southgate admitted that Maguire’s absence could reduce England’s aerial power, but stressed that the other defenders had valuable qualities that made up for the absence.
“I think all the centre-backs are ready. They’ve all had experience with us. Ezri (Konsa) has had an excellent season. Marc (Guehi) has had the most chances with us. We’ve seen what he can do for a while now,’ he declared.
“We’ll be different. We’ll miss Harry’s aerial presence, but we have more speed with the other players. They all have different qualities,’ he stressed.
England face Iceland in a friendly on Friday, before starting their Euro-2024 campaign against Serbia on June 16.