In preparation for their first Euro 2024 match against Serbia on Sunday, England arrived in Germany and practiced with their entire squad of 26 players. Last week, Gareth Southgate cut his team down to 26, shockingly leaving out Jack Grealish of Manchester City and Harry Maguire of Manchester United due to fitness concerns. John Stones, the team’s most seasoned center back, was under pressure because of Maguire’s absence, but concerns were increased when Stones injured his ankle during England’s penultimate warm-up match against Iceland last week. At Wembley, he was replaced as a precaution at half-time.
Nevertheless, Stones has resumed his training and appears to have recovered from the knock he sustained against Iceland. On Tuesday, Southgate welcomed the entire team for open training in Germany.
England will benefit greatly from Stones’ experience, and Marc Guehi of Crystal Palace is probably going to be his partner. After a string of minor injuries during the season, Stones found himself out of favor towards the conclusion of the City season, with Manu Akanji surpassing him in the defensive hierarchy. Though Stones did start the FA Cup final, Pep Guardiola will want him to have a successful tournament in Germany before he returns to the Etihad in top form for the upcoming campaign. After playing Serbia on Sunday, England will play Denmark on Thursday and Slovenia on Tuesday for the final group match.
