ENGLAND have trained for the first time since arriving in Germany for the European Championships.
And Gareth Southgate‘s troops have given him a huge boost ahead of their tournament opener.
England arrived in Germany for Euro 2024 on Monday night and had their first training session at the Ernst-Abbe-Sportfeld on TuesdayTHE FA
Gareth Southgate was sweating on the fitness of five players just a few days agoGETTY
But all 26 players took part in the team’s first training sessionGETTY
Bukayo Saka was one of the five injury concerns Southgate but took part in the sessionREUTERS
Luke Shaw was also a doubt but looked to be in tip-top conditionREUTERS
The Three Lions were put through a wide array of drills and stretches during the open workoutREUTERS
Skipper Harry Kane led from the front during the sessionTHE FA
Jude Bellingham was all smiles – as he was for most of the 2023/24 seasonGETTY
ReutersOne of the young fans in attendance showed their support for Bellingham[/caption]
The Three Lions touched down in Germany on Monday night to begin their pursuit of the Henri Delaunay Trophy.
England – who will be looking to go one better than their appearance in the Euro 2020 final – have set up base camp at the luxury Spa and Golf Resort Weimarer Land in the small town of Blankenhain.
And they’ve wasted no time preparing for what they hope will be a successful five-week-long campaign.
They held their first training session at the Ernst-Abbe-Sportfeld in Jena on Tuesday afternoon.
And Southgate was given a much-needed boost as his entire squad took part in the session.
Southgate was reportedly sweating on the fitness of FIVE players ahead of England‘s Group C opener on Sunday night.
It was reported that Phil Foden, Bukayo Saka, John Stones, Luke Shaw and star midfielder Jude Bellingham were all injury concerns.
The Telegraph claimed the quintet would all have to be checked over ahead of their clash with Serbia.
BEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERS
REUTERSHarry Kane led by example during the session[/caption]
Gareth Southgate was on hand to give his skipper instructionsGETTY
Phil Foden, Cole Palmer and Kobbie Mainno go through the motionsGETTY
The mood was a jovial oneTHE FA
Even Southgate found the time to have a laughREUTERS
Former Tottenham team-mates Kane and Kieran Trippier have a chuckle with SouthgateTHE FA
Kane was at one point floored by laughterAFP
England’s hopes of winning the tournament will hinge on Bellingham replicating his Real Madrid formPA
But the Manchester City, Manchester United and Real Madrid stars all took part in the first session.
England‘s hopes of ending their 58-year wait for a trophy will likely depend on Bellingham replicating the scintillating form he had in his debut season with Real.
But Southgate has warned his troops they can’t rely on the 20-year-old to fire them to glory.
He said: “I’m sure he will but it is not his responsibility to do that.
“It is for all of us to get the focus right, to make sure our mentality is right and make sure we’re working on the areas that need to be better than against Iceland.
“We are not putting everything on Jude.
“We’ve got a lot of good players and it is a collective thing to go and try to win this tournament.
“If we are relying on one person, that isn’t going to be a team that wins.”
Southgate took England to the brink of Euro glory three years ago, guiding his side to the final at Wembley.
But the Three Lions suffered heartache as they lost the final on penalties to Italy.
Southgate believes his current crop of stars have what it takes to go one better in Germany.
The 53-year-old, however, believes he likely won’t be in charge of the team if they come up short again.
He told Bild: “If we don’t win, I probably won’t be here anymore.
“Then it might be the last chance.
“I think about half of the national coaches leave after a tournament – that’s the nature of international football.
“I’ve been here for almost eight years now and we’ve come close.
“So, I know that you can’t keep standing in front of the public and saying ‘please do a little more’, because at some point people will lose faith in your message.
“If we want to be a big team and I want to be a top coach, then you have to deliver in the big moments.”
THIS IS A DEVELOPING STORY..
The Sun is your go to destination for the best football, boxing and MMA news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video.Like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TheSunFootball and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheSunFootball.
Creator – [#item_custom_dc:creator]
