Gareth Southgate believes England are ‘very fortunate’ to have a player like Newcastle United’s Kieran Trippier ahead of the Euro 2024 semi final.
The Three Lions are set to compete for a place in the final of the Euros on Wednesday night, as they face Netherlands in the competition’s second semi final. The first was won by Spain, which means that former Magpies trio Ayoze Perez, Joselu and Mikel Merino will be competing in Berlin on Sunday.
They could be joined by two current Newcastle United players in Kieran Trippier and Anthony Gordon, as the former awaits a major decision from Gareth Southgate.
Kieran Trippier’s place in the England XI is under threat
Trippier has started every England game at Euro 2024 so far, but has been asked to play out of position. The 33-year-old has been operating on the left of defence, with Luke Shaw injured.
But the Manchester United man is back now, and made a real impression off the bench as England beat Switzerland in the quarter final.
That has resulted in Gary Lineker calling on Shaw to start the semi final, while Paul Merson also thinks he should replace Trippier in defence.
What Gareth Southgate has said about Trippier ahead of England semi final
But the decision lies with Gareth Southgate, who spoke to the media on Tuesday about the possibility of dropping Trippier and replacing him with Shaw.
“Luke has been injured for four months, so it wasn’t a possibility for him to play until the last match,” he said.
“He made a good contribution to the game, so that’s the decision we have to make, whether he’s ready to start, whether that’s the best way to use him. We are very happy to have him back. He obviously gives us balance, different balance with the team, but also Kieran has done a fantastic job.
“He [Trippier] has played on many important nights for us. We have had a lot of big nights over the last seven or eight years. He has been so important on those occasions, but also around the squad, how he is with the rest of the players and the staff, so we are very fortunate to have players like him in our squad.”
Newcastle United leader set to start against Netherlands
Southgate has spoke glowingly about Trippier, at a time when his place in the England starting XI is more under threat than ever.
However, it looks like he is going to retain his place in the side on what is a massive night for the Three Lions.
According to Sky Sports, Southgate is expected to name an unchanged team to face Netherlands on Wednesday night.
That means that Trippier will likely start on the left, with Sky Sports adding that the England boss believes the Toon player can play a key role in neutralising Netherland’s threat down that side.
Sky Sports also state that Southgate is unsure whether Shaw can last 90 minutes, which is understandable given that Saturday’s game was his first appearance since February.
It is a real show of faith in Trippier that will likely not go down well with most England fans, but he has not let his country down all tournament. Trippier has done very well given the circumstances, and he certainly has experience of these big nights with England.
He has scored in a World Cup semi final before, while he even got an assist in the previous Euros final. Southgate has confidence that Trippier is the man for the big occasion, with the Newcastle United defender set to start again.
It is a different story for Gordon, who, unsurprisingly, will be on the bench.
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