Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer and Micah Richards pick their England starting XIs, disagree on three positions

England's starting XI for Euro 2024 has been decided by former players Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer and Micah Richards.

England qualified for the tournament as Group C winners following a superb, unbeaten campaign which saw them take 20 points from eight games.

Having reached the final last time out on home soil before losing to Italy on penalties, the Three Lions are one of the favourites for the showpiece.

The squad is brimming with quality and it will be difficult for Gareth Southgate to pick his starting side in Germany.

Everyone has their own opinions on who should get the nod and ex England stars Lineker, Shearer and Richards revealed their picks on the latest episode of 'The Rest is Football'.

The popular punditry trio were only allowed to pick players who were part of the latest squad for games against Malta and North Macedonia.

But they had largely the same thoughts, having disagreed on just three players.

Both Lineker and Richards opted for Marc Guehi partnering John Stones at the heart of the backline, while Shearer persisted with Harry Maguire.

Interestingly, all three went for Kieran Trippier at left-back given England's shortage of options in that position at present.

Midfield is where England are blessed with an array of talented players and could be an area which brings plenty of selection dilemmas.

Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham are nailed on starters for the aforementioned three but there were different choices for the third spot.

Richards had to squeeze in Trent Alexander-Arnold, who has shone in the new role for his country.

But Lineker opted for James Maddison, who had been thriving for Spurs prior to suffering an unfortunate injury.

Shearer settled on Phil Foden in the No.10 position, though Lineker had him on the left of a front three.

Bukayo Saka and captain Harry Kane were in the mix for all three, but Richards switched things up by picking his former Aston Villa colleague Jack Grealish on the left.

Teams in full:

Gary Lineker: Jordan Pickford, Kyle Walker; John Stones; Marc Guehi; Kieran Trippier - Declan Rice; Jude Bellingham; James Maddison, Bukayo Saka, Harry Kane; Phil Foden.

Alan Shearer: Jordan Pickford, Kyle Walker, John Stones, Harry Maguire, Kieran Trippier, Declan Rice, Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden, Bukayo Saka, Harry Kane, Jack Grealish.

Micah Richards: Jordan Pickford, Kyle Walker; John Stones, Marc Guehi, Kieran Trippier, Declan Rice, Jude Bellingham, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Bukayo Saka, Harry Kane, Jack Grealish.

Featured Image Credit: Getty

Topics: Alan Shearer, Gary Lineker, Micah Richards, England

Josh Lawless

Josh is a sports journalist who specialises in football and wrestling. He has been published by Curzon Ashton FC, Late Tackle, Manchester City FC, The Mirror, Read Man City and Manchester Evening News. He provides coverage of professional wrestling and has interviewed some of the biggest names in the field - including the first UK interview with The Hardy Boyz after their return to WWE. He has never sported a pair of Lonsdale Slip-ons, contrary to reports.

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