England boss Gareth Southgate will rest his Man City players against Malta next month… with Jack Grealish, Kyle Walker and Co set to face Inter in the Champions League final just six days before their Euro 2024 qualifier
- Manchester City take on Inter Milan in the Champions League final next month
- England’s Euro 2024 qualifier comes just six days after the Istanbul showpiece
- The likes of Phil Foden, John Stones and Kalvin Phillips are also set to miss out
England head coach Gareth Southgate is set to rest his Manchester City quintet for the Euro 2024 qualifier in Malta after Pep Guardiola’s side reached the Champions League final.
John Stones, Kyle Walker, Jack Grealish, Phil Foden and Kalvin Phillips are all in line to be selected for the international fixtures against Malta and North Macedonia when Southgate selects his latest squad on Wednesday.
England’s face Malta on June 16 – just six days after the Champions League final in Istanbul where City face Inter Milan.
If City are crowned European champions for the first time in their history, there is like to be a major celebrations in the preceding days after the final – particularly if they have won the Treble.
Southgate is always aware of the physical and mental demands on City’s players: the final in Turkey will be the club’s 61st game of the season.
Gareth Southgate is set to rest his Manchester City players when England face Malta in June
Jack Grealish helped Manchester City reach the Champions League final against Inter Milan next month after crushing Real Madrid 4-0 in the semi-final second leg on Wednesday night
John Stones (left) and Kyle Walker (right), pictured defending against Real Madrid superstar Vinicius Jr (centre), are also set to be rested by Southgate during the next international fixture
Nevertheless, the City players selected by England will be expected to report to St George’s Park on either June 13 or 14 and will also travel to Malta with the rest of the squad.
However, there are doubts over whether any Etihad players will start the game in Valetta with the England boss likely to give other members of his squad an opportunity to play due to City’s club commitments.
Instead, the national team boss will look to integrate his City stars into his starting XI for the clash against North Macedonia at Old Trafford on June 19. As a result the likes of Marc Guehi, Marcus Rashford, James Maddison and Conor Gallagher will be hoping to start in Malta.
Chelsea duo Mason Mount and Ben Chilwell are doubts for the squad due to injury, but team-mate Raheem Sterling is expected to return after missing the last squad with a hamstring problem.
