Only four Englishmen have been named in the team of the tournament for a European Championships in the 21st century. Gareth Southgate ended the international career of the first, even if Wayne Rooney did lose his place 13 years after he was among the pick of the players in Euro 2004.
As England can start to prepare for Euro 2024, Southgate’s loyalty to two others will be tested. They have been talismanic figures for him, faces of his improvement of England. A difficult season for each threatens a loss of status.
Not Kyle Walker, even if the treble winner sometimes finds himself outside Pep Guardiola’s strongest side and turns 34 before the tournament in Germany next summer begins. But Harry Maguire and Raheem Sterling, twin success stories for Southgate but a duo who will harbour few fond memories of 2022/23.
Maguire at least had a fine World Cup but seems to face a bleaker future with his current club.
Sterling may not need a transfer but neither can afford another season like the last.
Maguire surely needs a change of scenery, Sterling a change of fortune after a change of manager; yet another, given that this is Chelsea. The winger is proof that seeking pastures new can backfire. The defender, however, has suffered by staying, relegated to the ranks of Manchester United’s last-choice centre-back. With Erik ten Hag’s preference for Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez evident, Maguire lingers in limbo. He has only started six of United’s last 36 league games.
“He is captain of an incredible football club so that is a difficult situation, he will obviously be frustrated not to play as much as he would like but I think he has handled that really well,” said Southgate diplomatically.
But Maguire has to play to protect his international place. “It is clear, really,” Southgate added. “I think him and Kalvin [Phillips] are the two who have played the least in terms of guys in this squad this season but we have gone with them because in these two positions we think they are still ahead of others that might have played more. But it is then hard when that competition gets more even and you are not playing regularly to see their form and see their fitness.”
Maguire has benefited from a lack of options: there has felt a drop-off between him and John Stones and the supporting cast of Eric Dier, Tyrone Mings and Conor Coady so he has been given the benefit of the doubt. But the emergence of Marc Guehi and Levi Colwill threatens to change that; as Southgate suggested, Maguire’s fine service over an international career of 57 caps can only protect him for so long.
Sterling has suffered because of the higher calibre of alternatives. He finished the World Cup on the bench, albeit partly because his tournament was interrupted by a burglary at home that necessitated a brief return to England. He sat out the June games after talks with Southgate, looking to recuperate after his troubled season. England did not miss him.
Bukayo Saka scored a hat-trick against North Macedonia. Marcus Rashford got a goal. His tally of 30 club goals this season was a career best. Sterling got 31 himself in 2019/20 and was Chelsea’s joint top scorer in his first year at Stamford Bridge, but with a mere nine.
While Southgate stopped short of guaranteeing Saka one of the spots either side of Harry Kane, the Arsenal winger seems a shoo-in. It leaves Sterling probably competing for one position with a more potent Rashford, two treble winners in Jack Grealish and Phil Foden, plus the considerable talents of James Maddison.
“There is now a more even competition,” said Southgate. “In the past he was the name on the teamsheet. If we have all of those players available when we need them then that’s brilliant but it rarely happens. What we know is he’s scored an incredible amount of goals for us, important goals. His goals were critical.”
Will they be again? Perhaps Mauricio Pochettino will prove to be what Sterling needs, whereas Graham Potter certainly was not. The shifting dynamics of Chelsea’s attack – with Joao Felix gone and Hakim Ziyech, Christian Pulisic, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Kai Havertz perhaps to follow, but with Christopher Nkunku and maybe Nicolas Jackson joining – makes his future for club and country shrouded in uncertainty.
He has to first get back in the England squad, then the side.
Southgate draws on the experience of his time working with Sterling to predict a renaissance. “I will expect him to respond,” he said. “He’s not been happy with this season at his club this year, the part he has to get right this summer is his physical fitness and I would expect him to be flying next year. He’s a fighter.”
Sterling may need to be, just as Maguire will, if two of the team of Euro 2020 are to get into the England team for Euro 2024.
