The Three Lions are among the favourites to win the tournament and the performances of captain Harry Kane and No.1 Jordan Pickford will be key to their chances
Harry Kane and Jordan Pickford have made history after starting England’s Euro 2024 opener against Serbia.
The Three Lions are among the favourites to win the tournament and the performances of captain Kane and No.1 Pickford will be key to their chances. And manager Gareth Southgate named them both in his starting line-up to face Serbia in Gelesenkirchen.
In the process, Kane became England’s record appearance maker at major tournaments with 23. He has overtaken Ashley Cole and Raheem Sterling, who have both made 22, while he has also leapfrogged Gary Neville to become England’s record appearance maker at the Euros.
Pickford, meanwhile, has equalled Peter Shilton’s record for the most appearances at a major tournament by an England goalkeeper with 20. And if he is able to keep a clean sheet against Serbia, Pickford will also equal Shilton’s record of ten at a major tournament.
“It’s 61 caps now for me. I work hard off the pitch and on the pitch I do everything right to the best of my ability,” Pickford said ahead of the game. “I’m 30 now and I keep improving every day.
“If there’s anything I can learn, I want to keep trying my best to improve. That’s what keeps me pushing. That’s why it’s my fourth major tournament. That’s why I have won Everton’s player of the year for the last three seasons.
“I know what I’m doing and I know I keep getting better. Hopefully I’m appreciated and hopefully this tournament is a success. I’ve got the jersey and I want to keep pushing forward. They need to chase me.
“If I keep improving, the competition has to improve – that’s what I think is good about the England goalkeeper situation at the minute. There’s a lot of good goalkeepers.” Kane, meanwhile, is feeling confident about England’s chances and is hoping to life his first career trophy.
“We’ve earned the right to be, I guess, classed as one of the favourites. Ultimately, we’re here to win it,” he said. “And there will be nothing better for us and the nation itself if we do that.
“I think winning a major tournament with England would be one of the pinnacles of anyone’s career so that is the aim. For me personally, the trophies haven’t quite happened yet but it just makes me more determined and hungry to go out there and do that.”
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The Three Lions are among the favourites to win this summer’s Euro 2024 tournament and you can get your hands on the brand new Nike home and away kits before the first whistle.
