With Gareth Southgate's side now setting their sights on glory in Germany, GOAL looks at the players fighting for a key role in the squad
It's official: England have a plane to the Euro 2024 finals in Germany booked for next summer. The Three Lions shook off the disappointment of their World Cup quarter-final exit to finish top of what initially looked a tricky Group C – with an unbeaten record from their eight qualifying games.
Gareth Southgate, who guided England to fourth place at the 2018 World Cup and the Euro 2020 final, took the decision to extend his contract after falling short in Qatar in 2022. He still believes he can deliver his country's first major title since 1966, but the jury is out over whether he is ruthless enough to get them over the line.
The England boss tends to stick with his favourites, as the likes of Harry Maguire and Jordan Henderson continue to earn regular minutes despite their inconsistency at club level. That is unlikely to change, but competition for places will only ramp up heading into next year's European Championship in Germany.
New heroes have already emerged in the form of Bukayo Saka, Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden, while players such as Marcus Rashford and Jack Grealish are now in the prime years of their careers.
GOAL is here to track the progress of the latest England generation tasked with bringing football back to its spiritual home – all the way through to the Euro 2024 finals. Check out our power rankings below…
Getty1Harry Kane ↔️
England's all-time record goalscorer is only getting better with age. The 30-year-old finally left Tottenham in the summer to join Bayern Munich, and has scored a staggering 17 goals goals in his first 11 Bundesliga appearances for the German champions.
Kane also continues to deliver for England, with his brace inspiring a 3-1 win over Italy that sealed his country's spot at Euro 2024. He went on to score his 62nd international goal in a home victory over Malta, and is so far proving to be the perfect captain for the Three Lions.
Southgate's side have a great chance of going all the way in Germany with Kane on the pitch. He really is that good, and he's motivated by a desire to finally add some major silverware to his CV.
AdvertisementGetty2Jude Bellingham ↔️
After months of speculation, Real Madrid finally confirmed the €103 million capture of Bellingham on June 14, bringing to an end his hugely impressive three-year spell at Borussia Dortmund. The 20-year-old's arrival at Santiago Bernabeu is only good news for England, as the former Birmingham City starlet is surely now in the best place to unlock his full potential and make a claim to inherit the captain's armband from Kane in the future.
Unsurprisingly, Bellingham has hit the ground running at Madrid – scoring 13 goals in his first 14 games in all competitions. An untimely shoulder injury suffered recently halted his momentum, but there is no doubt he is the best midfielder in Europe right now.
Bellingham proved as much in his last outing for England against Italy as he won a penalty and produced one of the assists of the year so far. It's not too early to start talking about him as a potential Ballon d'Or winner.
Getty3Bukayo Saka ↔️
Saka may have suffered Premier League heartbreak with Arsenal last season, but there's no doubt that he is now one of the best wingers on the planet. The 22-year-old has lived up to that billing again for the Gunners at the start of the 2023-24 campaign, recording six goals and eight assists in 17 appearances.
A hamstring issue forced Saka to pull out of England's October camp as questions were raised over Arsenal's failure to grant their star man adequate rest. He returned with an assist against Malta, though, and will surely be one of the first names on Southgate's Euros teamsheet if he can avoid further fitness woes.
Getty4Declan Rice ↔️
Rice became the most expensive British player of all-time when completing a long-awaited £105-million ($131m) switch to Arsenal from West Ham in the summer window, and already looks right at home at Emirates Stadium.
The 24-year-old has been ever-present for Mikel Arteta's side in 2023-24 so far, and scored a decisive late goal in their dramatic home win against Manchester United to remind everyone of his underappreciated instincts in and around the penalty area.
Southgate always tends to start Rice at the base of midfield in England's most important games and he's yet to let his manager down. The Arsenal man will only get better as he approaches his peak years, which could yet be filled with silverware at both club and international level.