The club who have provided the most players for the England Euro 2024 squad are not Manchester City, Chelsea or the great staple of previous generations, Manchester United. Instead it is Crystal Palace who have supplied four of Gareth Southgate’s 26-man squad – Marc Guehi, Adam Wharton, Eberechi Eze and goalkeeper Dean Henderson. Unlike the England manager himself, a Palace youth team graduate, none of the four were homegrown.
Gareth Southgate knows that relying solely on one gifted player would be repeating an old England mistake
Gareth Southgate was in the England squad himself when the nation prayed for David Beckham’s broken metatarsal to heal, so he is aware of the dangers of putting the weight of expectation on a single player. One man cannot win a tournament, although with Jude Bellingham around there is certainly a better chance.