England have received a huge boost ahead of their Euro 2024 opening game as two key players who were fitness doubts for the weekend took part in full training.
Those men are John Stones and Bukayo Saka, the Manchester City defender and Arsenal attacker respectively. The two were spotted with the rest of the squad during Tuesday's training session at the Ernst Abbe Sportfeld in Jena, hinting that both should be available for Sunday's game.
The Three Lions kick off their campaign with an interesting showdown with Serbia in Group C in what could be a tricky fixture. Southgate's men enter this tie on the back of their 1-0 loss at Wembley to Iceland, meaning Kane and Co. desperately need to bounce back.
Stones suffered an ankle issue in that frustrating defeat and was subbed off at half-time, sparking further concerns around England's defense. Harry Maguire missed out on the squad due to injury, thus leaving the Man City ace as Southgate's only center-back with international experience.
Saka, on the other hand, came off the bench in the 1-0 loss after recovering from a groin injury he suffered during Arsenal's final few games of the 2023-24 season. However, there are concerns over his sharpness after missing a couple of matches.
While there has been clamor for Chelsea starlet Cole Palmer to start on the right following his sensational Premier League campaign, Saka is expected to be one of the first names in Southgate's lineup should the 22-year-old be match fit.
Elsewhere, Manchester United's Luke Shaw was spotted working with the ball and is nearing a return. However, the 28-year-old, who is England's only natural left-back, is recovering from a long layoff and will thus follow a cautious path.
According to the Guardian, the players were likely instructed not to tackle the Manchester United defender. Unfortunately, England's opening game comes too soon for Shaw.
