Who are Gareth Southgate’s Monument Men? Assessing the five players who’ve been a constant in the England manager’s squad since Euro 2016

Gareth Southgate will become only the third English manager to reach a century of games on Saturday, with five key players forming the foundation of his reign.

Jordan Pickford, Kyle Walker, John Stones, Kieran Trippier and Harry Kane are the only players to have played in all four major tournaments with Southgate. England have reached at least the quarter-finals in all of them.

Walker and Stones were indeed starters in Southgate’s first ever match against Malta in 2016 and will almost certainly feature again when England take on Switzerland in the last 16 of Euro 2024.

Mail Sport looks at the five pillars of Southgate’s success…

JORDAN PICKFORD

Games under Southgate: 65 (23 in major tournaments)

Goals under Southgate: 0

Pickford began his 2017 season with a clean sheet when he made his debut for Southgate against Germany and has now scored more in major championships than any other England goalkeeper.

Pickford has never played Champions League football, which is unusual for this English team. But Southgate was right to hold on to Everton’s No.1, who became a national hero in 2018 when his saves against Colombia helped the Three Lions win their first World Cup penalty shootout.

During his time at the club, Pickford was criticised for being too emotional and not big enough for the modern goalkeeper, but he never lost his place under Southgate.

At Euro 2020, he set a new national record by going 726 minutes without conceding a single goal, the equivalent of more than eight full matches.

The 30-year-old now sits fifth in the list of England’s all-time greatest goalkeepers, behind Peter Shilton, David Seaman, Joe Hart and Gordon Banks. Not bad company to be in, and plenty of time to add many more caps.

Gareth on Jordan… ‘He knows how much confidence I have in him. He’s an important match for the way we want to play.’

Jordan about Gareth… ‘Everything we do in training and the meetings we have, he executes brilliantly for us and makes sure we get the right game plan.

KYLE WALKER

Games under Southgate: 67 (18 in major tournaments)

Goals under Southgate: 1

Walker was still a Tottenham player when he started in Southgate’s first match as manager against Malta, but by the time he excelled at the 2018 World Cup as a right-sided centre-back, he had moved to Manchester City.

Since Russia, Southgate has used Walker primarily in his favoured position of right-back. Despite stiff competition from Trent Alexander-Arnold, Reece James and Kieran Trippier, he has remained first choice for all major games.

Walker has been absent from the England squad between major tournaments, with a 15-month gap between appearances after the summer of 2019. But while he has continued to collect trophies at City, Southgate has always called upon him for the biggest moments and he is vice-captain for these Euros.

Walker’s legendary pace at 34 shows no signs of abating. His clash with Kylian Mbappe was one of the highlights of the last World Cup and he has developed into a genuine dressing room leader, despite his performance being criticised in England’s dramatic comeback win over Slovakia.

Gareth about Kyle… “When we talk about world-class players in their positions in our team, he’s probably one of them.”

Kyle about Gareth… ‘The manager has indicated that he wants to play free, attacking football. Sometimes in a tournament you have to manage the game.’

JOHN STONES

Games under Southgate: 65 (22 in major tournaments)

Goals under Southgate: 3 (2 in major tournaments)

Southgate was a great admirer of Stones, having worked as manager of the England under-21s, and had no hesitation in making him a cornerstone of the first team.

Stones was selected for the new manager’s first game despite having only recently moved to Manchester City, and there had been some debate over whether his defensive skills were on par with his game.

History has shown that Southgate’s faith has been fully justified. Stones has been an integral part of England’s defence at three major tournaments alongside Harry Maguire and now in Germany with Marc Guehi, although the Crystal Palace defender’s suspension means a new partner will have to be called up against Switzerland on Saturday.

Stones not only exuded a calm authority at the back, but also set the stage for the semi-finals of the World Cup in Russia by scoring two surprise goals in the first half of the opening match against Panama to set the tone.

He has revolutionised the way England view centre-backs, stepping into midfield for City in 2023 as they won the Champions League by beating Internazionale in the final.

Gareth about John… ‘He takes the enormous pressure of the game on his shoulders and he is incredibly brave to do that.’

John about Gareth… ‘He brings a lot of peace to the group and always talks to each player individually.’

KIERAN TRIPPIER

Games under Southgate: 52 (18 in major tournaments)

Goals under Southgate: 1 (1 in major tournaments)

Despite England having a golden generation of full-backs, Trippier is a regular in Southgate’s tournament squads and is usually a starter. His versatility saw him play at right-back at the 2018 World Cup and Euro 2020, and now at left-back at the current Euros.

Trippier made his England debut under Southgate at the relatively advanced age of 26 against France in 2017, but has still managed to rack up half a century of caps since then. He also has the distinction of going to three consecutive tournaments while playing for different club teams: Tottenham, Atletico Madrid and Newcastle.

Southgate now trusts Trippier’s influence in the dressing room. He is mature, experienced and never lets his moods fluctuate too much.

He was a menace from set-pieces and his most famous moment in an England shirt came when he scored the opening goal from a free-kick against Croatia in the 2018 World Cup semi-final. He was the first Three Lions player to score in a major semi-final since Alan Shearer at Euro 96.

While reports are daily about Luke Shaw’s suitability to balance the left-back position, the right-footed Trippier is part of an England defence that has conceded just two goals in four games at the European Championship. He hopes to start again against the Swiss if he recovers from a minor knee injury.

Gareth about Kieran… ‘We all know his leadership qualities and the impact he has on the team and the squad.

Kieran about Gareth… ‘Gareth has created what it means to represent England and we have all embraced that,’

Harry Kane

Games under Southgate: 78 (14 in major tournaments)

Goals under Southgate: 61 (12 in major tournaments)

Shortly before Southgate took charge, Kane had inadvertently become one of the central figures in England’s disastrous 2016 European Championship campaign, sparking national debate over why the prolific striker had taken corners.

Injury ruled him out of Southgate’s opening match, but in his first game for the new manager he made a huge impression, scoring an injury-time equaliser against Scotland at Hampden to secure England’s qualification for the 2018 World Cup.

By the time England left for Russia, Southgate had handed Kane the England captain’s armband, even though he had never captained Tottenham. Kane became only the second Englishman after Gary Lineker to win the World Cup Golden Boot, and the records have been falling ever since.

Kane now leads all other England top scorers by a wide margin, with his decisive header against Slovakia on Sunday marking his 65th goal for his country.

Unlike the previous three major tournaments, he went to this European Championship in Germany as a Bayern Munich player, not a Tottenham player. His success in the Bundesliga has made him one of the biggest draws of the tournament for local fans.

Although Kane’s role has often been questioned, particularly whether he should be playing deep so often, he has become a hugely inspirational figure to others in the dressing room and many will be hoping that England can hand him the long-awaited trophy in an otherwise glittering career.

Gareth on Harry… ‘To break England’s goalscoring record is a testament to his strength of character and mentality.’

Harry about Gareth… “I can’t praise Gareth enough and what he’s done for this team and the nation. In terms of where we were and where we are now as a national team is completely different.”