Gareth Southgate is fielding several injury concerns ahead of the Euros (Image: GETTY)
Gareth Southgate joked that his England stars were 'lying buggers' while making the point that he would never trust his players to be honest when assessing their fitness levels. Southgate is fielding a number of injury concerns ahead of Euro 2024, with England set to have five absentees when they face Bosnia and Herzegovina on Monday.
John Stones, Bukayo Saka, Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw and Anthony Gordon will not be available for selection for the match at St James' Park. Of the five players, Maguire and Shaw are the biggest concerns with both defenders carrying injuries which have kept them out for several weeks.
Discussing the injury problems in the England camp in Sunday's press conference, Southgate made it clear that he would not trust his players when it comes to assessing how fit they are.
The England boss jokingly called his players 'lying buggers' in Sunday's press conference (Image: GETTY)
"They're lying buggers, really," he said. "If you're in a relegation battle, the treatment room is absolutely full. If you're in a cup final, it's empty. They have great intentions and are super positive, but equally they want to be on the plane, so we have got to have a more in-depth view than theirs."
It remains to be seen if Maguire and Shaw will be fit enough to make the cut when Southgate names his final England squad for the Euros next weekend. Maguire missed the final five weeks of the Premier League season for Manchester United after suffering a calf problem in training.
Asked if he thought the defender would be available to play at the Euros, Southgate replied: "We don't know that at the moment."
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Shaw, meanwhile, has been sidelined since February with a muscle injury and only made 12 league appearances for United last season. He was described as a 'long shot' by Southgate last month but the England boss offered a more positive update when quizzed on his recovery on Sunday.
"He's progressing very well, I have to say," he said. "I think I said last week that until we had the players in front of us working with us, there was a lot of information that we didn’t have. We’re pleased with how he’s progressing.
"There’s still a bit to do before he can get on the pitch in a game situation, but I'm really pleased with the work he’s doing with our physical performance team and our medics, so, yeah, he’s in with a good chance."
