Gareth Southgate was coy over the chances of Cole Palmer and Kobbie Mainoo starting England’s Euro 2024 last-16 tie this Sunday.
England finished top of Group C with five points but delivered another uninspiring performance in the goalless draw with Slovenia on Tuesday evening.
The result means Southgate’s side will now play one of the best third-placed teams in the last 16 this Sunday at 5pm, which could be any one of the Netherlands, Romania, Slovakia, Ukraine or Belgium.
Mainoo came on at half time in the draw with Slovenia and delivered an impressive display at the heart of England’s midfield.
Palmer, meanwhile, was handed his first appearance in this summer’s tournament as he replaced Bukayo Saka in the 71st minute and Chelsea’s talisman quickly became England’s biggest attacking threat.
Southgate is already facing calls for both Palmer and Mainoo to start England’s first game of the knockout stage this weekend, but the Three Lions manager gave little indication in his post-match press conference.
When asked about Palmer’s performance after England’s stalemate, Southgate said: ‘He showed what he’s been showing in training.
‘I think with him and Kobbie we had in our mind to get them into the game tonight, they offer something different.
‘We wanted to start with Conor [Gallagher], we felt it helped us to press better and we haven’t been winning the ball high enough up the pitch.
‘The part of his game we weren’t able to get were his forward runs that can exploit opposition defences, so he was ending up receiving a bit deeper.
Therefore it was logical to bring Kobbie into the game who has different attributes to be able to connect the game through midfield, so very pleased with that.
‘In the end we almost had a goal where [Anthony] Gordon, Mainoo and Palmer connect and it was a super piece of play.
‘It’s so important that the players who come in realise they’re going to get opportunities if they keep training the way they’re training, they’re supporting the team brilliantly.
‘We know we have some good options to be able to change games which is crucial with the five substitutions especially.’
