Jordan Henderson will be on the bench for England’s Euro 2024 qualifier against Italy tonight, with Kalvin Phillips set to earn his first competitive start for his country since March. Phillips was in the starting lineup for England’s 2-1 win in Naples seven months ago.
Despite his paucity of appearances for Manchester City, the midfielder’s defensive ability has persuaded Gareth Southgate to give him another starting spot.
Phillips has not started a Premier League match for City since May, and he has only made two league starts since joining the club in the summer of 2022.
Henderson has been the center of controversy since his summer decision to go to Saudi Arabia, where same-sex relationships are outlawed.
The former Liverpool captain had previously shown his support for the LGBTQ+ community, and he was booed by some England fans after being substituted in Friday’s triumph over Australia at Wembley Stadium.
Southgate defended the player he named captain at Wembley, claiming he would “100%” continue to select the midfielder even if the booing from the stands was relentless.
England coach Gareth Southgate has decided to take him out of the line of fire against Italy, but it is thought to be a tactical decision rather than to protect him from further upset.
England’s midfield three will include Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice. Fikayo Tomori and Eddie Nketiah have been left out of the team, leaving Southgate with a matchday roster of 23 players from his 25 available.
England will qualify for next summer’s tournament in Germany if they win or draw against Italy, the defending European champions.
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