The United Kingdom have three representatives at this summer’s European Championships and England, Scotland and Wales have their own hopes and expectations.
As ever, fans will be looking at all three squads and wondering which players would be make it into their combined XI….well, here’s our selection.
Pickford Offers Best Keeper Option
The media and pundits have had plenty of questions over who should be the first-choice goalkeeper for England, but ultimately Jordan Pickford looks set to keep his spot as number one.
He also gets the nod in this select XI as he has the experienced at the very top level, even though Scotland’s David Marshall has been impressive during a successful qualifying campaign.
Pickford has over 30 international caps to his name and having helped England to the World Cup semi-final, has also enjoyed big-tournament penalty shoot-out success.
Three Centre-Backs the Way to Go
None of the three nations look particularly strong at the back, so three centre halves looks to be the best option for the select XI.
He may have had his injury problems in the last few weeks, but Harry Maguire continues to be a crucial member of England’s backline, especially with his organisational skills. The Manchester United ace is 3/1 to score a header at anytime during the tournament.
Meanwhile, having slipped down the pecking order for club and country, John Stones has been outstanding for Man City this season and his displays mean he has to be a starter.
We dip into the Scotland squad for the third centre back, with the addition of the Arsenal defender Kieran Tierney.
The former Celtic man has converted from an out-and-out left back to filling one of the three centre-back spaces at the Emirates and he’s likely to do the same for this country.
PL Duo Fill Wing-Back Roles
The two wing-back positions are probably the most difficult to select, due to the vast number of options to select from.
England originally selected four right backs as well as having Luke Shaw and Ben Chilwell available on the left, whilst Scotland have two of the best left-sided options in Europe.
But I’ve plumped for England’s Kyle Walker on the right, with his pace proving a crucial option – especially when getting back to help out the centre-halves.
Whilst Scotland’s Andy Robertson is the selection on the left, with the Liverpool man set to skipper his country this summer.
Anglo Pair to Anchor the Midfield
In what is a 3-2-2-3 formation, two impressive midfielders have been selected to hold the fort in the middle of the park.
Jordan Henderson has not only lifted the Premier League and Champions League trophy in the last three years, but he is also fresh having missed the latter stages of the domestic campaign.
Meanwhile, Scotland’s John McGinn has been outstanding for both club and country over the last two years and looks set to be a key player for Steve Clarke’s men this summer.
Fearsome Trio to Lead the Attack
After just collecting his third Premier League Golden Boot, there’s no way of leaving Harry Kane out of this starting line-up.
The England skipper is joined by fellow countryman Jadon Sancho, who has been playing at the very top level for Borussia Dortmund since 2017.
Making up the front three is the only Welshman in the select XI, with Gareth Bale offering another world-class option going forward. The Wales forward is 4/9 to score at anytime during the tournament.
Select XI line-up (3-2-2-3)
Pickford
Stones, Maguire, Tierney
Walker, Robertson
Henderson, McGinn
Kane, Sancho, Bale
*All odds correct at time of writing.
