Gareth Southgate has identified Declan Rice's midfield partner for England's first match at Euro 2024

This has been one of the main topics of debate ahead of England's opening match against Serbia at Euro 2024. Who will start in midfield alongside Declan Rice?

A handful of players are vying for that all-important midfield spot.

Adam Wharton caught the eye with an impressive 28-minute cameo against Bosnia last week, and after the full-time whistle Gareth Southgate said he was the kind of midfielder his team was missing “for seven or eight years.”

Conor Gallagher, who played the full 90 minutes in that 3-0 win over Bosnia, also received praise from his manager, with his performance described as “important” alongside Declan Rice.

Then, a few days later, Kobbie Mainoo got a deserved start in their friendly against Iceland and once again Southgate praised one of his youngest players.

“We would have no hesitation in starting him,” the Three Lions manager said of Mainoo. “He showed incredible maturity, he moves the ball quickly.”

Wharton, Gallagher and Mainoo are certainly in contention to play a big role at this summer's tournament in Germany, but it appears another player will start at Euro 2024 alongside Declan Rice.

Trent Alexander-Arnold, who was recently handed the number eight jersey, is “at the front of the queue” to start alongside the 26-year-old, according to a report from The telegraph.

A source told the publication: “A lot can change, obviously, but Trent was given the No.8 jersey for a reason. »

Southgate was impressed with Alexander-Arnold's performance in midfield alongside Gallagher as they enjoyed the 3-0 win.

“We were very pleased,” he said when asked about the Liverpool man.

“It's a role that he's new to and he's been hungry to learn since I talked to him about playing it about a year ago, and similarly, what we've seen over the course of the last half hour is also an important option for us as a Good.

“We're going to have different challenges in this tournament, and we're going to have to find different ways to solve the problems that the teams give us.”

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As well as Trent being in pole position to start against Serbia, Bukayo Saka is a fitness concern for England, according to The mirror.

Saka, who missed Arsenal's final game of the season against Everton, has been forced to miss some recent training sessions.

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