- Jack Wilshere urged England to attack Serbia in their first Euro match
- He has put Kyle Walker in an unfamiliar position by naming his ideal XI.
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Jack Wilshere has named an attacking lineup for his dream England team, which will take on Serbia in their Euro 2024 opener on Sunday night.
Gareth Southgate’s side open their campaign in Gelsenkirchen, with Denmark and Slovenia also in Group C, as the Three Lions look to book their place in the knockout stages, having reached the final of the last European Championship three years ago.
Former Arsenal icon Wilshere, 32, who earned 34 caps for England between 2010 and 2016, chose who he would choose to start alongside captain Harry Kane against Serbia, including placing defender Kyle Walker in an unusual position.
Wilshere said Sun that Trent Alexander-Arnold should be Southgate’s choice at right back, moving Walker to centre-back.
“If you play Trent at right back and he moves into midfield, he can change the game quickly,” Wilshere said. ‘Walker’s pace will get you out of trouble.’
Jack Wilshere named Kyle Walker in unusual position for his England team to face Serbia
Wilshere, who played 34 caps for England between 2010 and 2016, named an attacking eleven
Jordan Pickford takes his place in goal, with John Stones partnering Walker at the heart of the defense and Kieran Trippier on the left.
It remains to be seen whether Stones will feature against Serbia, after an illness kept him out of training on Wednesday and left the Manchester City star confined to his room to prevent the illness from spreading around the England camp.
Declan Rice is named as England’s only holding midfielder, with Manchester City’s Phil Foden and Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham tasked with attacking midfield duties.
Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard previously struggled to coexist in a similar setup for England, but while both were right-footed, Foden prioritizes his left.
“Naturally, Bellingham will play closer to Kane, making those runs and hopefully scoring those goals he has for Real,” Wilshere said.
“Maybe Foden plays a little lower with the ball and can feed it.”
Cole Palmer and Bukayo Saka are named as wing threats either side of captain Kane at the top of the pitch.
Wilshere said: “In the group stage against teams we should beat, we can afford to be more expansive, let’s attack.”
“Not long ago we said that we didn’t have Spanish-type players who could dominate the ball, but now we do.”
“So let’s try to use that, dominate the ball and go for goals.”
Wilshere believes Trent Alexander-Arnold can ‘change the game quickly’ when he moves into midfield
Phil Foden and Jude Bellingham have been given attacking midfield roles.
England’s first game against Serbia in Gelsenkirchen on Sunday night will be followed by a clash with Denmark in Frankfurt on Thursday night, before the final group game in Cologne on June 25 against Slovenia.
Southgate’s team are among the favorites to win the tournament, which begins on Friday night in Munich when hosts Germany take on Scotland.