Euro 2024 is upon us and the excitement is building across the country as England approach their first group game with Serbia on Sunday evening. The Three Lions are the pre-tournament favourites and they’ll be expected to go deep into the competition with the talented, young and hungry squad Gareth Southgate has at his disposal.
There is debate about Southgate’s starting XI for the opening game but whoever he picks will be expected to get the job done and get England off to a fast start in the tournament after going so close to European glory at Wembley Stadium three years ago.
But how is today’s line-up different to what was expected a decade ago. To find out, we downloaded FM14 and simulated to the present day to see how the game had England lining up at the tournament.
Of course, there are a few familiar faces involved and a large proportion of the XI below have picked up England caps over their careers. Only one member of FM14’s starting XI is involved in Southgate’s squad in real life, though. Here is how FM14 thought the England starting XI would look for their Euro 2024 opener: (As anyone who has played the game will expect, the squad did feature a number of re-gens - computer generated players created by the game to replace real life players who age out. We did not include these players in our starting XI and replaced them with the next best player in the squad in their position)
5. CB: Matt Partridge
A bit of a left-field name, it's safe to say Partridge is not anywhere near Gareth Southgate's England squad today. The defender came through the ranks at Reading but left the club without making a senior appearance. He has since carved out a career for himself further down the footballing pyramid, with spells coming at Dagenham & Redbridge, Basingstoke Town, Newport County, Hungerford Town, Salisbury, Gosport Borough and Thatcham Town. As of 2020, he was playing for Hungerford. | Getty Images
6. CM: Jordan Rossiter
Rossiter was on the verge of a senior breakthrough at Liverpool in 2014 but it never really happened for him. Instead, he left Anfield after making just five appearances to join Rangers in 2016. He struggled to force his way into the side at Ibrox too and eventually dropped down to Fleetwood Town. He has spent the last two seasons in League One with Bristol Rovers. | Getty Images
7. CM: James Ward-Prowse
Another one who might feel hard done by not to be involved in Germany. The West Ham United man scored seven goals for the club this season but hasn't made an England appearance since 2022. | Getty Images
8. CAM: Will Hughes
The Crystal Palace man has never earned an England call-up despite spending a huge chunk of his career playing regularly in the Premier League. The Derby County academy graduate is approaching his fourth season with the Eagles. | AFP via Getty Images