Gary Lineker has claimed Gareth Southgate is ‘insulting’ his England players with his comments about Kalvin Phillips.
Southgate has come in for a lot of criticism over his side’s performance so far in the 2024 European Championship. England took four points from their opening two games but have struggled to assert their dominance in the matches.
After narrowly beating Serbia, the Three Lions held on to a draw against Denmark in their second match of the tournament, leaving fans and pundits scratching their heads as to why the team is struggling.
After the draw in Denmark, Southgate told the media that his side were struggling to replace Kalvin Phillips, a player who was a regular for Southgate until he was dropped from the squad before the tournament.
Speaking The rest is footballLineker slammed the Three Lions boss for his comments and insisted it was wrong of him to make them.
Gareth Southgate (pictured) ‘insulted’ his players with his comments about Klavin Phillips, claims Gary Lineker
Lineker (pictured) said the England manager was ‘wrong’ to refer to Phillips after his side’s draw with Denmark
Southgate said his side found it ‘difficult to replace Phillips, who last played for England seven months ago
“It’s insulting to some of the players out there, and it’s wrong,” Lineker began. ‘There are players in that team who could do it.
“Even the young players he brought in, Adam Wharton could do it. Kobbie Mainoo could probably do it. Bellingham could play.
‘The players just need instructions, players need to understand what their job is.’
Lineker’s co-host Alan Shearer agreed with his fellow former England striker and also took exception to the England manager’s comments.
“If we’ve been relying on Kalvin Phillips over the last few years, I think that’s very concerning,” he said. “I didn’t understand his comment at all.”
Lineker added: ‘That was very strange. He’ll be sick inside.’
Phillips was crowned England’s player of the year in the 2020/21 season, but his performances declined when he joined City in the summer of 2022 and he endured a nightmare loan spell at West Ham last season.
Often the perfect partner for Declan Rice, the midfielder did not start a game for the Three Lions at the 2022 World Cup, with Bellingham partnering the Arsenal man in midfield and Mason Mount playing three games for them and introducing Jordan Henderson for the final two.
England and Southgate have come in for a lot of criticism for their performances so far in Germany at the 2024 European Championship
Fans and pundits are scratching their heads as to why Southgate has struggled to get the best out of his side
Phillips was previously a key player for England but was dropped before the 2024 Euros due to a major dip in form
Southgate said of Trent Alexander-Arnold post-Denmark: ‘He’s had moments where he’s delivered what we thought he would.
“We know it’s an experiment and we don’t have a natural replacement for Kalvin Phillips, but we’re trying some different things and right now we’re not flowing the way we would like, that’s for sure.”
Pundtis and fans have since blasted the comments, with Lineker the latest man to question the words.
Ian Wright said on ITV: ‘When he listened to Gareth he was talking about Kalvin Phillips and he’s the only one in the country who can play that role, I don’t believe that.
“I believe Adam Wharton can play it. I think Kobbie Mainoo can play it too. You chose them. Now we are in a situation where it is not desperation because we have four points, but we are in a place where we need something different, we need to change something.”
Phillips was available for selection this tournament, but Southgate opted not to take him to Germany as his last cap came seven months ago.
The England boss added that his side had been looking for a midfield solution ‘for seven or eight years’ and named Declan Rice as his side’s savior.
Southgate added that he played against Trent Alexander-Arnold (right) in midfield as an ‘experiment’.
Alexander-Arnold played the first two matches in Germany in this position, but was replaced by Conor Gallagher on both occasions, suggesting the ‘experiment’ is all but over.
Wharton, Mainoo and Gallagher represent the other options for Southgate in the position, while others, like Lineker, have suggested Bellingham could drop back from the number 10 role.
The Champions League winner has been playing further and further forward to get him closer to goal, but the call to go deeper has come to solve more than one problem.
While it would help find a partner for Rice, it could also potentially see Phil Foden, who has also struggled in Germany, play at centre-back, or it could mean introducing Cole Palmer to the squad.