Gareth Southgate handed huge England injury boost as ALL 26 stars train ahead of Euro 2024 opener

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.

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England arrived in Germany for Euro 2024 on Monday night and had their first training session at the Ernst-Abbe-Sportfeld on TuesdayCredit: THE FA

Gareth Southgate was sweating on the fitness of five players just a few days agoCredit: GETTY

But all 26 players took part in the team’s first training sessionCredit: GETTY

Bukayo Saka was one of the five injury concerns Southgate but took part in the sessionCredit: REUTERS

Even Southgate found the time to have a laughCredit: REUTERS

Luke Shaw was also a doubt but looked to be in tip-top conditionCredit: REUTERS

The Three Lions were put through a wide array of drills and stretches during the open workoutCredit: REUTERS

Skipper Harry Kane led from the front during the sessionCredit: THE FA

Jude Bellingham was all smiles – as he was for most of the 2023/24 seasonCredit: GETTY

One of the young fans in attendance showed their support for BellinghamCredit: Reuters

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 claimed that Phil Foden, Bukayo Saka, John Stones, Luke Shaw and star midfielder Jude Bellingham were all injury concerns.

The Telegraph reported the quintet would all have to be checked over ahead of their clash with Serbia.

Harry Kane led by example during the sessionCredit: REUTERS

Gareth Southgate was on hand to give his skipper instructionsCredit: GETTY

Phil Foden, Cole Palmer and Kobbie Mainno go through the motionsCredit: GETTY

The mood was a jovial oneCredit: THE FA

Former Tottenham team-mates Kane and Kieran Trippier have a chuckle with SouthgateCredit: THE FA

Kane was at one point floored by laughterCredit: AFP

England’s hopes of winning the tournament will hinge on Bellingham replicating his Real Madrid formCredit: PA

But the Manchester City, Manchester United and Real Madrid stars all took part in the first training 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.

GARETH SOUTHGATE is under no illusions coming into this competition – it is win or bust.

The Three Lions have never had a better opportunity to end their 58-year wait for a major international trophy given the talent and experience they have in their armoury.

MANAGER: Gareth Southgate

The former England star has come closer than anyone since Sir Alf Ramsey to ending the Three Lions’ trophy hoodoo.

Southgate is aware that the nations expects, and has even suggested he will quit if he doesn’t deliver the European Championship.

The Real Madrid star is arguably the world’s best player at the moment and gives England the platform they need to dominate big games.

How England attack

England will look to dominate the ball against almost everybody.

Declan Rice is crucial in progressing the ball, Bellingham, Saka and Foden will rotate to pull defenders out of position and Kane can both score and drop deep to provide chances for others.

How England defend

England press man-to-man with the midfield pushing up to support Kane when the ball is lost and look to win it as close to the opposition goal as possible.

However, the left-back spot could be a cause for concern, particularly with Luke Shaw entering the tournament with fitness worries.

Read the full England Euro 2024 guide here, including predicted line-ups, odds and Wags.

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 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, has admitted 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.”