England boss Gareth Southgate stuns fans with Leeds United academy graduate admission after Denmark draw

Phillips was a key component of the England side that enjoyed a run to the final of Euro 2020. He was also part of the squad that competed at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

However, a lack of game time at Manchester City saw him pushed down the pecking order and a loan move to West Ham United did not prove successful. Despite having been one of Southgate’s most trusted lieutenants, Phillips missed out on a spot in his Euro 2024 squad.

In England’s opening Euro 2024 fixtures, Trent Alexander-Arnold has taken the midfield spot next to Declan Rice formerly occupied by Phillips. It has not quite worked out for the homegrown Liverpool star and he was substituted early in the second half of the 1-1 draw with Denmark.

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Speaking after the game about Alexander-Arnold featuring in midfield, Southgate said: “It is an experiment and we know that we don’t have a natural replacement for a Kalvin Phillips. We’re trying some different things and at the moment we’re not flowing as we would like for sure.”

The comment attracted plenty of attention from fans, who expressed frustration Southgate had not managed to put together a succession plan. There has been clamour for the involvement of Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton, but he was an unused substitute in Frankfurt for the Denmark clash.

England sit top of Group C heading into the final game of the first round, a meeting with Slovenia in Cologne.