Gareth Southgate’s boys: The 10 England players who racked up most minutes
England’s Euro 2024 defeat to Spain was Gareth Southgate’s last game as England manager. Who are his favourite 10 players from the last eight years?
10) Bukayo Saka (2821 minutes)
Usurped Marcus Rashford on this list with his 90 minutes in the Euro 2024 final, three years after he came off the bench at Wembley and was one of the unlucky penalty-takers. Already has 40 caps at just 22 years old. What a player.
9) Jordan Henderson (3457 minutes)
He’s had periods out of the starting XI and even out of the England squad but Gareth Southgate had always turned back towards the former Liverpool captain like a lovely red comfort blanket. Until he dropped him for Euro 2024 after a season in which he cocked it all up by going to Saudi Arabia.
8) Kieran Trippier (4070 minutes)
Whether at right-back, left-back, right wing-back or left wing-back, Trippier has largely been a mainstay of Southgate’s England. With Reece James and Trent Alexander-Arnold much younger men, it was thought Trippier might be phased out but Southgate trusts Trent more as a midfielder than a right-back. Started every game at Euro 2024 barring the final.
7) Raheem Sterling (4201 minutes)
Sterling earned 55 of his 82 caps under Southgate. As it says here, ‘the bright young spark in 2014 became the scapegoat in 2016, the potential attacking weak spot in 2018, the national hero in 2020 and then, through no fault of his own, an outmoded elder statesman in 2022′. But he now seems to be on the outside of the England set-up and without the argument of being rather good for Chelsea.
6) Declan Rice (4851 minutes)
Only the second player on this list under the age of 27 and the only one not at the 2018 World Cup, where a midfield trio of Henderson, Dele Alli and Jesse Lingard sent Southgate cap in hand to the not-very-Irish Irish international midfielder. It took some time for most but Southgate to be convinced of his worth but by the time Euro 2020 belatedly came around, he was integral to the way England play. He has no back-up and many people remain unconvinced by him as the pivot.
5) Harry Maguire (5545 minutes)
Looked a shoo-in for his fourth straight international tournament despite any and all club travails, but an injury that ruled him out of the group stages of Euro 2024 eventually ruled him out of the whole shebang. Now a real possibility that we have seen the last of him in an England shirt.
4) John Stones (5625 minutes)
There was a spell when he lost his way for both club and country but mercifully Stones timed that blip between international tournaments. At four major tournaments he has been pretty much imperious, with Southgate recognising the classy and calm player Stones has become under Pep Guardiola. There’s a chance that he can still squeeze out another World Cup under another manager.
3) Kyle Walker (5995 minutes)
If Euro 2024 illustrated anything it is that Walker remains a) really f**ing quick and b) absolutely trusted by Southgate, who has frequently rested the Yorkshireman through qualification campaigns, but always with the caveat that he does not need to play Walker in every single game because he knows exactly what he can do. He will be an easy player to discard but we will absolutely miss his ludicrous pace (and chest control). We will not miss his brainfarts.
2) Jordan Pickford (6315 minutes)
Often questioned by outsiders but almost never doubted by Southgate, who has nurtured England’s best tournament goalkeeper. He could easily spend the next six years between England’s posts, getting really angry at occasionally being asked to do his actual job.
1) Harry Kane (6680 minutes)
The man. The don. With an astonishing 61 goals in 81 games under Southgate, he is a ludicrous 43 goals ahead of the next top scorer. Scored three goals at Euro 2024 despite looking about 57% fit. And was absolutely sh*t in the final.
READ: A step-by-step guide to show Harry Kane has actually scored precisely zero proper goals for England
