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Jadon Sancho it’s rise to prominence over the last 18 months continued with his scintillating performance in England’s bizarre 5-3 win over Kosovo, where he scored twice and forced an own goal from a low cross.
Sancho has now seemingly cemented a starting spot in England’s attacking line, after a string of impressive outings for Borussia Dortmund earned him a place in the squad.
Despite the victory and Sancho’s positive display, the performance arguably provided more questions than answers, with England looking remarkably shaky at the back.
However, England’s qualification still seems very secure after four wins from four in a favourable group, so we have assessed what we think Gareth Southgate’s squad will look like at next year’s tournament.
Here is our starting XI and squad that we would like to see in June 2020.
Show all 24 1 /24Picking England's XI and squad for Euro 2020 Picking England's XI and squad for Euro 2020 England XI and squad for Euro 2020 Gareth Southgate has the most exciting front line of a generation but has decisions to make in defence and midfield
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Picking England's XI and squad for Euro 2020 Bench - Nick Pope The Burnley goalkeeper is an excellent shot-stopper and a very competent backup to Pickford.
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Picking England's XI and squad for Euro 2020 Bench - Tom Heaton Another extremely good shot-stopper, Heaton would also be a reliable option to call upon if injuries struck.
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Picking England's XI and squad for Euro 2020 Bench - Kyle Walker Walker’s pace is his best asset, but he has proved at Man City that he is capable of playing in a technical set up. His attributes over that of Aaron Wan-Bissaka are more suited to Southgate’s style of play.
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Picking England's XI and squad for Euro 2020 Bench - Joe Gomez Gomez has been very unlucky with injury, and needs a run of games to remind people that he is a very good centre-back. He is capable of defending, reading the game and at playing out from the back.
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Picking England's XI and squad for Euro 2020 Bench - James Tarkowski His clubmate Ben Mee has somehow alluded an international call up, but Tarkowski is a very talented defender who delivers a 7/10 minimum in almost every game.
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Picking England's XI and squad for Euro 2020 Bench - James Tarkowski Chilwell is still developing as a left-back at Leicester and is good, without excelling, both defensively and offensively.
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Picking England's XI and squad for Euro 2020 Bench - Declan Rice Rice is another who’s enjoyed a quick rise to the England squad, and is a promising ball-winning midfielder. Without having top-level experience it is hard to argue for him to start over Henderson.
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Picking England's XI and squad for Euro 2020 Bench - Mason Mount Mount, despite his age, has demonstrated his game-changing ability and possesses excellent decision-making ability that earmarks him ahead of more experienced midfielders.
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Picking England's XI and squad for Euro 2020 Bench - James Maddison Maddison perhaps operates best as a no.10, a position Southgate has not really used. However, his playmaking and set-piece abilities are a valuable weapon off of the bench despite not yet being capped.
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Picking England's XI and squad for Euro 2020 Bench - Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain Another who needs to prove his fitness to remind people of his talent, Oxlade-Chamberlain is quick, can beat a man, and is capable of playing most midfield positions.
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Picking England's XI and squad for Euro 2020 Bench - Callum Hudson-Odoi Hudson-Odoi has displayed a lot of ability in his short career at club and international level, and is another who is an excellent option to have from the bench.
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Picking England's XI and squad for Euro 2020 Bench - Marcus Rashford Rashford’s role in this squad is to provide coverage across the front line, and his pace and attacking versatility could prove very valuable later in the tournament.
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Picking England's XI and squad for Euro 2020 GK - Jordan Pickford Pickford has not quite progressed at the rate many thought he would when he first signed for Everton, but he remains a good stopper and his distribution is a useful tool for Southgate.
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Picking England's XI and squad for Euro 2020 RB - Trent Alexander-Arnold Although he is less defensively capable than his right-back contemporaries, Alexander-Arnold’s technical and set-piece abilities are a weapon that England should look to exploit.
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Picking England's XI and squad for Euro 2020 CB - Harry Maguire Despite giving away a penalty against Kosovo, Maguire is the most ‘solid’ out of England’s centre-backs and his aerial presence in both boxes can be game-changing.
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Picking England's XI and squad for Euro 2020 CB - John Stones Centre-back has been England’s Achilles heel for several years, with all of the candidates looking error-prone at times. Stones has experience and ball-playing ability on his side, which suits Southgate’s style of play.
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Picking England's XI and squad for Euro 2020 LB - Danny Rose Rose gets the nod over Ben Chilwell because he is slightly more athletic and defensively capable and has the advantage of playing for a top club, making him more suited to the intensity of tournament football.
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Picking England's XI and squad for Euro 2020 DM - Jordan Henderson Although he has box-to-box capabilities, Henderson’s ability to sit back and allow other players to be more creative is invaluable and his contributions often go undervalued.
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Picking England's XI and squad for Euro 2020 CM - Ruben Loftus-Cheek Despite being currently injured, Loftus-Cheek at his peak is a devastating midfielder and has a fantastic talent for carrying the ball between the lines. Having said that, he must get fit and start regularly for Chelsea soon.
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Picking England's XI and squad for Euro 2020 CM - Dele Alli When England (hopefully) advance to the latter stages, they are likely to line up more defensively, but the dual threat of Alli and Loftus-Cheek in the final third could be very potent for the Three Lions.
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Picking England's XI and squad for Euro 2020 LW - Raheem Sterling Sterling has been in world-class form for the last two seasons and is one of the first names on the teamsheet. Playing in his favoured position on the left allows him to replicate his phenomenal performances for Manchester City.
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Picking England's XI and squad for Euro 2020 RW - Jadon Sancho Sancho is another who possesses frightening natural ability, but is equally capable of coming inside and playing quick passes as he is beating someone for pace and driving in a cross and should be a sure starter next summer.
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Picking England's XI and squad for Euro 2020 ST - Harry Kane Captain Kane is England’s only striker who plays at a high level for club, with Marcus Rashford preferred out wide for United. Kane has already demonstrated his scoring potential at a major tournament...
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