There’s now just three days to go until England are back in action at Euro 2024.
The Three Lions secured their spot in the last 16 after finishing top of Group C. That saw them tee-up a showdown with Slovakia in Gelsenkirchen on Sunday night.
Before taking to the pitch, under-pressure Gareth Southgate has been getting his squad ready. 25 members of the Three Lions’ squad are fit and ready to go against Slovakia, with Phil Foden having flown home.
And there could potentially be some changes on the way from Southgate after another tepid performance against Slovenia. Take a look at a few things we noticed from Thursday’s session:
Gordon's freak accident
While the Three Lions have a pretty much clean bill of health, there was some concern over the fitness of Newcastle’s Anthony Gordon. Pictures from Thursday’s latest session showed the wideman had picked up a gruesome graze across his face.
His chin in particular looked nasty. Revealing what happened, defender Marc Guehi said: "He fell off his bike.
"The boys went out on a bike ride, I wasn't there I just heard about it. I was talking to him and not paying attention and when I turned around I just saw the massive gash on his chin. He's doing well now."
Despite the painful-looking injury, Gordon should be fine to play against Slovakia should Southgate call upon him.
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Conversations with Kane
On the topic of Gordon, calls for him to be drafted into the starting line-up are growing louder and louder. Despite having only been given a brief cameo last time, he caught the eye.
And he looks to be getting on Harry Kane’s wavelength ahead of this weekend. Gordon and the England captain were pictured deep in conversation on Thursday.
Hopefully those early conversations get England’s attack finally firing. The Three Lions have scored just twice in Germany - one of those goals coming from Kane.
Rice and Tripper in individual training
Declan Rice and Kieran Trippier have been key for England this tournament. The duo started each of the three group games in Germany.
But there was some doubt over their fitness after not participating in group training. Both Rice and Trippier have been put on individual programmes.
Fortunately, there are no injury concerns with the FA confirming that they are just managing their respective workloads. Phew!
Steely Southgate
Despite leading his side through to the knockout stages in Germany, the pressure continues to crank up on Gareth Southgate. He looks to be feeling the effects.
The England boss bore a steely and focused look on his face throughout his side’s latest session. Southgate will certainly be desperate to get things right over the next few days.
After all, any of his next few games could be his last in charge of the Three Lions. He has already admitted he could leave if England don’t win the Euros and one wonders whether that is playing on his mind.
Shaw fully involved
Luke Shaw is finally ready to make his first appearance of the tournament. The Manchester United defender missed the entire group stage with injury.
But he was fully involved in Thursday’s session having been pictured alongside Kane in running drills, while he was also able to get a few touches of the ball. With England’s left side having been scrutinised this summer, Shaw will be hopeful of earning some opportunities during the Euros after all.
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