One popular England pundit has bravely picked eleven players to form an ultimate England XI
England's players line-up ahead of their Euro 2024 opener against Serbia.(Image credit: Getty Images)
With tournament fever underway, the Three Lions are once again in the hunt for glory at this summer's European Championships in Germany.
Heading into the month-long tournament as favourites, Gareth Southgate has a squad full of stars, but comparisons have been made between England's 2004 side and the one we see today.
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Sky Sports regular Gary Neville has attempted to pick his best XI, with the goalkeeping department something of a hot topic.
Jordan Pickford has been England number one for quite some time now and it looks likely he will continue between the sticks at Euro 2024.
“Instinctively, I was nervous about the fact that I saw him [Jordan Pickford] laughing on the pitch as a goalkeeper at times which I thought, ‘I don’t see a goalkeeper laughing’ – it just lacked seriousness and I thought temperament, composure and physical stature – then when I’ve seen him to be fair in these last three or four years, there’s only one goal that I’ve seen him concede in a tournament for England where I’ve thought, ‘He should have saved that’, and it was actually in the game against Belgium," began Neville speaking on The Overlap Fan Debate, brought to you by Sky Bet.
“It was a meaningless game where we lost and we ended up getting an easier route through to the semi-final, but he doesn’t make a lot of mistakes for England at all, his kicking is pretty good, he’s become a big player for England and he’s actually surprised me."
Jordan Pickford in action for England (Image credit: Getty Images)
Much of the talk has been about the Toffees form in the Premier League this season, but it is worth remembering Sean Dyche's side had the third-best defence in the division, only behind Arsenal and Manchester City.
"He’s better for Everton than I thought he would be in the Premier League, so he’s turned it round for me, for where I was in my mind," added Neville.
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The question still remains, however, just who gets into a combined England XI? Do you agree with the former Manchester United captains picks?
“So, Pickford comes in [to the Golden Generation team], [Kyle] Walker, [Declan] Rice, [Harry] Kane and I would put [Phil] Foden on the left. I would have [David] Beckham still in the team, Wazza [Wayne Rooney] and [Steven] Gerrard.”
Matthew is a Freelance Journalist and has racked up bylines for Manchester United, Manchester Evening News, GOAL and SPORTbible to name a few. A long-term sufferer of Scunthorpe United, he currently resides in the north-west after escaping the smog of North Lincolnshire.
