England manager Gareth Southgate has said he is “spinning a lot of plates” as the deadline to finalise his squad for Euro 2024 nears.
England play Iceland at Wembley on Friday (19:45 BST) in their final friendly before the tournament, after which Southgate will confirm the 26-man group he will take to Germany.
Speaking about his upcoming selection after Monday’s 3-0 win over Bosnia-Herzegovina, he said: “We understand the significance for all of the players so we’re giving it the respect and attention it deserves to make fair, right decisions.
“Of course, it’s always going to be subjective.
“It’s not just getting the best individuals in, there’s a positional element to that as well.
“We’ve got really good options and I think we’ve come through tonight without any physical issues, which is really important.”
The England boss continued: “Some players needed the game, they needed the minutes and they need the minutes again on Friday. That’s why we brought Harry Kane on. He needed some match time today and then to back that up.
“We’re spinning a lot of plates trying to get individuals into things, manage minutes, perform well and everything else, but I think it was a good night for us.”
In their penultimate warm-up match before Euro 2024, second-half goals from Cole Palmer, Trent Alexander-Arnold and substitute Kane secured a routine victory at St James’ Park.
At Euro 2024, England are in Group C with Denmark, Slovenia and Serbia – their first opponents in Gelsenkirchen on Sunday, 16 June.
