The race to partner John Stones at Euro 2024 is on! Can Fikayo Tomori and Marc Guehi pounce with Harry Maguire struggling for a game at Man United? Or can Lewis Dunk or Levi Colwill put themselves in pole position?
- Harry Maguire has had success with England but struggles for minutes at United
- John Stones is currently out of the squad with an injury at the start of the season
- Listen to the latest episode of Mail Sport’s podcast It’s All Kicking Off
The race is on for England’s centre back hopefuls to partner John Stones at the heart of the defence at next summer’s European Championship in Germany.
Gone are the days where England fans could rely on an established partnership at the back, with Manchester City’s Stones now the only centre half with their name seemingly etched in stone on Southgate’s teamsheet.
However, not even potential future manager Pep Guardiola has experimented with just one central defender in the modern era – at least not yet – and as good as he is, Stones will need a partner that Three Lions fans can look to for a similar level of reliability and consistency in an England shirt.
But with only a little over nine months between now and the tournament’s official start date, Southgate is running low on opportunities to test out a new duo and give them enough games under their belts to be ready and raring to go in Germany.
The England boss has included five central defenders in his latest squad – with Stones himself out injured – but who looks most likely to join the City man at the back next summer? Here, Mail Sport takes you through the five main contenders ahead of upcoming qualifiers against Ukraine and Scotland.
John Stones (left) is regularly partnered by Harry Maguire (right) at the back for England
Gareth Southgate is not short of options for the second centre back slot and has named five in his recent squad list – but he is running short on opportunities to nail down Stones’ partner
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Harry Maguire – 57 caps (Manchester United)
It seems like there isn’t an England squad announcement where Maguire avoids the scrutiny, and this most recent call-up has been no exception.
Maguire is constantly accused of not deserving his call-up, largely on the basis that he struggles to get a game for Manchester United. It is a fair argument, but to his credit he has always stood up and performed for England, earning Southgate’s seemingly eternal gratitude.
Southgate has been England’s most successful manager in over half a century, and that feat should bring with it a certain level of trust that he does know what he’s doing and who to pick. He’s overseen 85 games and picked Maguire in 57 of them, of which England have only lost 12 times, including once on penalties.
Maguire has been a crucial part of the last three England squads at a major tournament, in which he reached a World Cup semi-final, Euros final and another World Cup quarter-final. If we’re talking about international experience, there aren’t that many players in the world who can say the same, let alone England players.
Maguire is a regular feature in Southgate’s England squads over the years and has found success with the Three Lions, playing a key role in the last three major tournaments
Be that as it may, there is a very real chance that Maguire will have only played a handful of games between now and June, which even Southgate’s faith might not cover.
A move to West Ham was touted over the summer, and a fee even agreed between the two which might have seen Southgate willing him to accept in order to get that particular monkey off his back, but Maguire stood firm, keen to show that he can still cut it at United.
Maguire and Stones do at least have a good partnership.
In 36 games together they’ve only conceded 32 goals, losing seven including the Italy Euros final on penalties.
Much of England’s rise to the top in recent years has been down to their work at the back. Maguire is the big, traditional stalwart at the back, while Stones has license to thrill on the ball. They make a good double act.
It is likely that Maguire will be the man to partner Stones in Germany if he can play at least 15-20 games for United between now and then – but even that many minutes might be a stretch.
His chances of setting up in the first game become slimmer with every passing week.
There are concerns over his game time at Man United where he is fourth-choice centre half
Fikayo Tomori – 3 caps (AC Milan)
The Canadian-born centre back has perhaps been the greatest victim of Maguire’s continued presence in the England set-up. But there is also the argument that Tomori’s stock is never higher than when the Man United man is picked over him, his achievements in Italy somewhat stretched in the imagination to feed the fury.
At AC Milan he was reliable and impressive as the Rossoneri lifted the Scudetto in 2021-22, there is no denying that. He only lost one game in the starting XI, after all.
But the following season saw a slightly less impressive return, losing six games in Serie A as he kept only 10 clean sheets and conceded 35 goals in 33 games.
That’s not exactly a shocking return, but in the Champions League against the best Europe has to offer – which is what England will find in Germany next summer – he only won three games and conceded nine goals. A red card against former club Chelsea was a particular low point as he was exposed off the ball by Mason Mount.
Tomori has never actually played a full 90 minutes for England’s senior side, managing 88 minutes of a 0-0 draw with Italy last year, after half an hour of a 5-0 drubbing over Andorra and six minutes at right back against Kosovo in 2019. It’s not like he hasn’t taken his chances when they’ve been sparingly offered his way.
Fikayo Tomori will be looking to add to his three England caps against Ukraine and Scotland
He does however stand four inches shorter than Maguire, and although he is still 6ft 1in, part of the reason the Maguire-Stones combination works so well is that they offset each other’s weaknesses. With only an extra six centimetres on Tomori, Stones is hardly the immovable stopping power that Maguire is, and will be unlikely to succeed in that role.
Both Maguire and Tomori are right-footed – as is Stones – but Tomori’s weaker foot is stronger, having played several times as a left back, which could put him in good stead up against the United man when it comes to who starts in June.
The ability to play out both ways from the back is underrated, and perhaps one that could pique Southgate’s interest.
In the current England squad, Tomori is somehow the third-most capped centre back, but is likely to feature in at least one of the games, although Southgate will surely not pass up on the opportunity to test some new faces. His chances have been few and far between, but he has been in good form so far with AC Milan and should make his mark.
Of the other contenders to Maguire’s regular throne, Tomori looks closest to the starting spot based on his overall ability, although we’ve seen countless times that that is not always how Southgate picks his sides.
Fans have frequently questioned why Tomori has been overlooked in favour of Maguire
Marc Guehi – 4 caps (Crystal Palace)
The Ivory Coast-born defender has been one of Southgate’s most consistent picks in his England squads in recent years, only that hasn’t entirely translated into a long list of international caps, with just four to Guehi’s name to date.
That may very well change, though. With Maguire looking unlikely to play regular football between now and June, Guehi looks the most likely contender to Tomori to line up alongside Stones in Germany.
His performances have gone from strength to strength since leaving Chelsea for Crystal Palace – so much so that Arsenal came sniffing this summer to try and sound out a move.
Guehi reads the game so well and can regularly be found snuffing out searching through balls in behind the Palace midfield to frightening effect.
Marc Guehi has four England caps to his name after impressing in his time at Crystal Palace
At 23 he has already captained the Eagles 15 times, highlighting what a leader he could be for Southgate at the back, and reads the game as well as a defender 10 years his senior.
Largely impeccable in the tackle – both in timing and execution – he is a willing body to break down any attack.
Guehi is no Stones on the ball – and Tomori’s distribution is superior – but he has good feet and an eye for an escape route when under pressure from attackers inside his own half. In many ways, should Stones fall foul of injury, the Palace star could be considered the natural replacement for him.
In terms of his size, though, Guehi is a good two inches shorter in stature than Stones, which could leave him susceptible under the high ball, although he is surprisingly strong.
It is not written in stone that all centre back pairings must have one smaller player who is good on the ball, and one larger, capable of bullying opponents, but it certainly helps. In this sense, Guehi falls down somewhat.
But the manager likes him, and in many ways that’s more important, if recent squad lists are anything to go by.
He is an almost certainty to feature against one of Scotland and Ukraine, and might just pip Tomori come the summer should he continue in the same form with Maguire out of action.
Guehi has frequently been picked by Southgate and is in a good spot to claim a starting berth
Levi Colwill – 0 caps (Chelsea)
The ever-impressive Levi Colwill perhaps raised a few eyebrows on his inclusion in the recent England squad, but for the most part it has looked a foregone conclusion that he might be able to make the step up for some time now.
A starring role for the England U21s as they won the European Championship in Romania and Georgia, and an even more eye-catching season as Brighton qualified for Europe, has seen the player rocket into Chelsea’s starting XI at the start of the season.
It’s not been the best of starts for him, five goals conceded and just one win from four, but the fact that he is in the fold after the heavy outlay from the Blues speaks to how highly regarded he is.
At Brighton he showed himself to be classy and calm on the ball, but also resolute in defence, in that now all-too-familiar modern centre back mold.
Strong on the ball, confident passing his way out of danger – very much a Guardiola-style defender.
Unlike many his age, he also keeps his cool in the box, and rather than lash out at any stray ball keeps his composure, taking a second to weigh up his choices rather than reacting impulsively.
Levi Colwill has been named in his first England squad after an impressive start to the season
At around 6ft 2ins his height is nothing to be sniffed at, but again he is of a similar build to Stones, which could see one of them play an enforcer role that may not suit their physique. Much like the Man City star, Colwill is far from scrawny, but lacks the muscle mass that is evident on Maguire.
There is nothing to suggest that Colwill will not thrill under Mauricio Pochettino this term, but right now he perhaps lacks the experience for Stones to overlook the likes of Guehi and Tomori in his favour.
That being said, a stunning season could see his technical ability get him closer to the No 5 shirt.
For Colwill to make a serious claim to the slot alongside Stones, there are arguably too many hypotheticals that must go his way; he would need to have a truly impressive season at a far from stable Chelsea side; Southgate would probably have to pick him in each and every England game in the next nine months; Tomori and perhaps Guehi would have to suffer injuries and/or downturns in form.
Colwill will probably start at the next World Cup in a little over two years’ time, which is testament to just how good he is with a little over a season in the English top-flight under his belt, but it seems as though June is just too close for him to truly mark himself out as one of the best in the country at what he does.
The Chelsea ace impressed as England won the European U21 Championship this summer
Lewis Dunk – 1 cap (Brighton)
The Brighton defender’s sole cap came going on five years ago, when England took on USA in a friendly that featured the likes of Wayne Rooney, Harry Winks and Fabian Delph, captaining from the start. It’s safe to say Dunk is now in a very different England squad.
If it was a conversation about who is the best like-for-like sub for Maguire, then Dunk’s would be the first name on the teamsheet.
Look at the alternative options, and none fit the ball as the unofficial enforcer; at more than 6ft 3ins he’s almost as tall, and has made 844 clearances in 212 Premier League appearances.
There are few names in the English top-flight more willing to put their body on the line, more ready to get involved in any challenge, nor more robust having only missed 13 games for Brighton injured since their return to the top-flight.
Previous sneers at the suggestion of Dunk taking part in an international tournament might have centred around Brighton’s stature in the game – similar in fact to many levelled at Guehi – but look at the Seagulls now. In the Europa League, with one of Europe’s most exciting attacking managers at the helm and playing liquid football.
So much has changed in the last decade – all except for Dunk’s name on the teamsheet.
Lewis Dunk has been called up to the England squad and will be looking to make a first appearance in almost five years
Why has he only got one cap if he’s been in the reckoning for more than five years then, I hear you ask?
Well, as good and consistent as he has been, Maguire had quite simply been better until the last 18 months or so. Since then we’ve seen the ‘Southgate only picks Maguire because he was good in the past’ argument rise, perhaps at the expense of Dunk.
But to paint him as a lump who is good at getting in the way of the ball is to do him a disservice – there is more to his game. He’d hardly keep his place in one of the most dynamic teams in the Premier League if there wasn’t, after all.
Dunk has shown himself more than capable of advancing with the times, and is adept with the ball at his feet. No player made more passes last season than Dunk, nor did any beat him for touches throughout the campaign. He made 172 accurate long balls in his 36 games, at an average of 4.7 per game.
Throw into the mix that Dunk has captained in the Premier League 174 times, and his case is strengthened further still to fill in alongside Stones.
When it comes to the biggest stages you need the most experienced and level heads – do England have anyone who has been round the block more than Dunk?
Dunk featured once for England, taking on the USA in a friendly in 2018 (back row, fifth left)
Honourable mentions
Tyrone Mings – 18 caps (Aston Villa)
High on the list of honourable mentions – with only injury keeping him out of contention for now – is Tyrone Mings.
The Aston Villa stalwart has returned to his best form under Unai Emery, who has cruelly been robbed of one of his biggest performers due to a knee injury. Mings has 18 caps to his name and at 1.96m towers over even Maguire.
If he can beat the clock and get back fit in time for the tournament – which is an outside possibility at this point – he should make the squad.
Whether he can make a case to start while the likes of Guehi, Dunk and Tomori have been busy having great seasons is another matter, though.
Both Tyrone Mings and Ben White would be contenders for the position but have varying obstacles to overcome
FULL ENGLAND SQUAD
GOALKEEPERS: Sam Johnstone (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton), Aaron Ramsdale (Arsenal).
DEFENDERS: Ben Chilwell (Chelsea), Levi Colwill (Chelsea), Lewis Dunk (Brighton), Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace), Harry Maguire (Manchester United), Fikayo Tomori (AC Milan), Kieran Trippier (Newcastle), Kyle Walker (Manchester City).
MIDFIELDERS: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Conor Gallagher (Chelsea), Jordan Henderson (Al-Ettifaq), Kalvin Phillips (Man City), Declan Rice (Arsenal).
FORWARDS: Eberechi Eze (Crystal Palace), Phil Foden (Man City), Jack Grealish (Man City), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), James Maddison (Tottenham), Eddie Nketiah (Arsenal), Marcus Rashford (Manchester United), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Callum Wilson (Newcastle).
Ben White – 4 caps (Arsenal)
The curious case of Ben White and the England team.
The Arsenal star left the 2022 World Cup squad under mysterious circumstances in December citing personal reasons, but there are varied reports over the true nature of his departure.
Some point to an alleged bust-up with assistant manager Steve Holland, others insinuate he struggled to fit in with the rest of the squad. Both have been quashed by Southgate since, but the player is yet to return to the fold.
White mostly plies his trade as a right back for Arsenal these days, but is a more than capable centre half, having played the vast majority of his career there, and his history at the heart of defence is key to his solid inverted right back performances.
Versatility can be a valuable thing when it comes to tournament football, but it remains to be seen whether the former Brighton youngster can patch things over with the Three Lions.
At the moment, a return seems unlikely given his continued absence.
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