Marcus Rashford's poor form for Manchester United meant he could have no complaints about being left out of England's Euro 2024 squad, believes his club boss Erik ten Hag.

Along with Manchester City's Jack Grealish, Rashford was a surprise omission from Gareth Southgate's party for the tournament in Germany.

Anthony Gordon, Eberechi Eze and Jarrod Bowen were among the wide players preferred to Rashford, who had been a mainstay in the Three Lions' squad since making his first tournament appearance at Euro 2016.

Rashford scored just seven goals in 33 Premier League appearances in 2023-24 as the Red Devils limped to an eighth-place finish – their lowest in the competition's history.

Only in 2015-16, 2016-17 (both five) and 2021-22 (four) has Rashford scored fewer goals in a top-flight campaign. 

Speaking in his role as a pundit for NOS on Sunday, Rashford's club manager said the forward had not done enough to be considered for his country.

"Grealish and Rashford were both lacking this season. And when you are lacking, you risk not getting picked for your country," Ten Hag said.

Ten Hag's job was thought to be under threat as United enter their first full season under the Jim Ratcliffe regime, but it was confirmed last week he will stay at the helm.

He was asked on Sunday whether he had any desire to manage the Netherlands in the future, but he maintains he is content at Old Trafford.

"I've never been chasing anything," Ten Hag said. "I'm very happy with where I am now. And I want to make the most of it."

Harry Kane offers more to England than simply goals, says Kieran Trippier, who is not concerned about the striker's lack of touches in Sunday's 1-0 win over Serbia.

Jude Bellingham's goal was the difference as England recorded a hard-fought victory to open their Group C campaign, meaning they have started all four of their major tournaments under Gareth Southgate with a win. 

However, their performance attracted criticism from some quarters as England managed just five shots to Serbia's six, accumulating a total of 0.52 expected goals (xG).

Kane was a victim of the cagey nature of the contest, recording fewer touches (24) and successful passes (nine) than any other England starter. 

Goalkeeper Jordan Pickford at least doubled both of those tallies, having 48 touches and completing 25 passes.

Kane did go close to giving England a two-goal cushion in the second half as he saw a header tipped onto the crossbar by Predrag Rajkovic, but Trippier says he should not be judged purely on goals.

"Obviously it was difficult because they played five at the back, but what people don't realise is what Harry does off the ball," Trippier told reporters in the mixed zone.

"Of course, he scores goals but what he did for the team today was incredible, holding the ball up and bringing other players into play. 

"People just focus on goals with Harry but internally, as team-mates, we appreciate what he does off the ball."

England have, however, kept five successive clean sheets in group-stage matches at the Euros, the longest such run in the competition's history.

"I would say it's about managing the game," Trippier continued. "There will always be moments in games where the opposition will have a spell of 10 or 15 minutes of possession. 

"It's about being nice and compact and not conceding. We have got experienced players in the group like [Kyle] Walker, Harry, myself, players that can help the younger players manage the games. I thought we did that tonight."

Fans were hoping to see a free-flowing England display after watching Germany and Spain kick off with resounding wins, but their figure of 0.52 xG is the fourth-lowest of any team to have played at Euro 2024 thus far, after Scotland (0.02), Serbia (0.18) and Albania (0.51).

However, Jarrod Bowen – who teed up Kane's big second-half chance – is not worried about the performances of other nations.

"We are so focused on ourselves and what we can do, other teams are irrelevant. They are their countries and we are England," he said.

"We focus on ourselves and our focus was to win the game not because other teams won, but because it was a statement for us to win the first game going into Thursday.

"That was our mindset coming into this game and that will be it, full focus on us."

Serbia wing-back Filip Kostic is feared to have suffered ligament damage during his team's 1-0 defeat to England at Euro 2024, coach Dragan Stojkovic has revealed.

England made a winning start to their Group C campaign on Sunday as Jude Bellingham's early header was enough to decide a cagey game in Gelsenkirchen.

It was a challenge involving Bellingham that led to the end of Kostic's game, the Juventus man requiring treatment after falling awkwardly and being substituted after 43 minutes.

Serbia now face Slovenia and Denmark in their remaining group-stage games, but Kostic is a major doubt to continue at the tournament and could be set for a long spell on the sidelines.

"Kostic felt a strong pain in the outside part of his left knee and we fear that he could have ligament damage," Stojkovic said at his post-match press conference. "He will undergo medical tests on Monday, let's hope it's not as bad as it looks."

Though England held Serbia to just six shots (one on target) amounting to 0.18 expected goals (xG), Stojkovic felt his team deserved to take something from the match.

"We managed to corner the English team and I think we didn't deserve to lose," Stojkovic said. 

"I told my players I was proud of their performance and about everything but the result. Now all we can do is to rest and get ready for what is probably the most important match of the group stage against Slovenia."

Day three at Euro 2024 brought plenty of action.

Jude Bellingham was the main man for England as the Three Lions beat Serbia 1-0.

Earlier in the day, Denmark drew 1-1 with Slovenia, and the Netherlands came from behind to beat Poland.

But there was also plenty of action on social media, and not just on the pitch. Here, we round up the best posts from Euro 2024.

Wolfpack

Bellingham celebrated his goal for England with Trent Alexander-Arnold, and the pair debuted a new "wolf" celebration.

They embraced before they each got down on one knee and placed a hand over their face.

Explaining the celebration, Bellingham told BBC Sport: "When we play Wolf, one of the staff loves that face when he doesn't have a clue what's going on! So that was kind of, a little group celebration for the wolf crew!"

Man on a mission

Bellingham may have grabbed the headlines, but Declan Rice was vital for England in midfield.

Indeed, only Bellingham (92) had more touches than Rice (90), while the Arsenal man led the team for passes (81), accurate passes (78) and interceptions (two, along with Alexander-Arnold and Kyle Walker).

And the official England account made sure to give Rice some love. 

Harry Haaland?

At half-time in the England match, pundit and former Three Lions defender Jamie Carragher posted on X that Harry Kane was "playing the Haaland role".

By that point, Kane had only touched the ball twice, and the captain would go on to finish with 24 touches, exactly half the amount of goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, who ranked 10th in that metric of the 11 England players to start the game.

Carragher suggested that, like Erling Haaland at Manchester City, Kane was being instructed to stay high and wait for the ball to come to him, though does not feel that role suited him.

Kane, who was making his record-breaking 23rd appearance for England at a major tournament, nearly scored in the second half, but saw a header saved onto the crossbar.

How to save a life

A genius idea in the fan zones in Germany, is that there are CPR training units set up, so that supporters can learn the basics if they need to act quickly.

UEFA broadcast this on their official account.

Eriksen's emotional Euros return

The need for CPR training is only hit home when thinking about Christian Eriksen.

June 12 marked the third anniversary of Eriksen collapsing on the pitch in Copenhagen, during Denmark's opening game of Euro 2020.

Thankfully, and due to the swift actions of the medical staff that day, Eriksen survived the cardiac arrest he suffered, and on Sunday, matters came full circle as the 32-year-old scored his nation's opening goal against Slovenia.

Dress sense

Some managers go for a tracksuit. Others go for a smart casual look. Plenty wear a suit.

Poland boss Michal Probierz falls into the latter category, but he made sure to stand out with his bold choice in Sunday's clash with the Dutch.

Probierz went for an eye-catching tweed waistcoat and a brown blazer, drawing the attention of the Men In Blazer's X account, and in turn, their post was picked up by Poland's official team account too. 

What do you think of the look?

Memphis' new look

Speaking of making a statement, Memphis Depay is not exactly shy when it comes to what he wears.

And for Euro 2024, it would appear the Netherlands' forward has a new look, with the 30-year-old donning a headband.

It's usually a look reserved for basketball, not football, but Depay will do what Depay wants to do. Not that it greatly helped his performance levels. The former Manchester United attacker had four shots, but didn't get any of them on target.

Jude Bellingham "has everything to win the next Ballon d'Or", Serbia skipper Dusan Tadic insisted after his side fell victim to England's star midfielder.

Bellingham was the hero with his first-half header ensuring Gareth Southgate's side got off to a winning start at Euro 2024, as they edged out the Eagles 1-0 in Gelsenkirchen.

The Real Madrid midfielder built on the momentum from his memorable debut season with Los Blancos, for whom he scored 23 goals and helped win LaLiga and the Champions League.

The second player after Michael Owen to score at the World Cup and European Championship before turning 21, he is also the first to do so for the Three Lions while playing his club football outside of England.

And Tadic, who appeared as a second-half substitute in Serbia's first match at the European Championship as a unified nation, paid tribute to the 20-year-old.

When asked whether he thought Bellingham was the difference in the Group C contest, the Eagles skipper told reporters: "Yes, definitely. I think he is a great player and a great personality. I think he has everything to win the next Ballon d'Or.

"I think everything that he did was great today, he showed personality, he took England to the next level. He was always asking for the ball and I think he had a great game.

"What I think is most important for such a young player is that he always takes responsibility. That is amazing to see, and you can see he is very hungry."

Jos Buttler has praised Jofra Archer upon his return to international cricket at the 2024 T20 World Cup. 

Archer spent over a year on the sidelines nursing an elbow injury following a recurrence of a stress fracture that ruled him out of summer cricket 12 months ago.

The 29-year-old has taken five wickets for Matthew Molt's side, the latest coming in their 41-run triumph over Namibia as they progressed to the Super 8 stage following Australia's win over Scotland. 

"We were in and out looking at the weather and Jofra was asleep on the bench - he's in a really good place," said Buttler.

"I’m just delighted to see him back in an England shirt playing on the big stage."

Archer's struggles with injury have persisted for the last three years, missing England's 2023 Ashes series against the Aussies. 

The fast bowler played a pivotal role in Three Lions' ODI World Cup success in 2019, and has recaptured that form which saw him take 20 wickets during that tournament.

Archer has captured a wicket in each of England's World Cup fixtures, averaging an economy rate of 5.91, only bettered by Reece Topley (3.60). 

Buttler has been impressed with the 29-year-old's form in the opening stages of the tournament, but revealed his progress has exceeded his expectations. 

"He’s been fantastic and is an amazing guy to have in the team to throw the ball to," said Buttler.

"He’s exceeded certainly my expectations for where he would be at. He was probably expecting that of himself."

Mitchell Starc said Josh Hazlewood's assertion that securing England's T20 World Cup exit would benefit Australia had been blown out of proportion after Saturday's win over Scotland kept their old rivals alive.

England's rain-affected victory over Namibia on Saturday put their hopes of reaching the Super 8s in Australia's hands. 

Having already sealed their own place in the next round, Australia knew a win over Scotland would keep their rivals in the tournament, while a defeat would see Scotland advance.

Aided by six dropped catches, Scotland set a target of 181 only for Travis Head (68) and Marcus Stoinis (59) to excel with the bat as Australia got over the line with two balls to spare.

Earlier this week, Hazlewood suggested Australia might be best served by ensuring they cannot meet England further down the line, speculating about the possibility of "dragging out" the match against Scotland.

Starc, however, insists those comments were made with tongue in cheek.

"I think a throwaway line has been blown right out of proportion by you lot," he said, referring to the media.

"You don't stuff around with mother cricket and trying to worry about other results. We're here to win games. It's international cricket. 

"England now are on the other side of the draw, so it really doesn't make that much difference for the next three games."

Brandon McMullen – who hit a terrific 60 off 34 balls for Scotland, including two fours and six maximums – never questioned the integrity of Australia's approach.

"They're always going to put up a good fight," he said. "They're never just going to roll over and let you win. 

"I'm glad that it was a close game today. We showed that we can compete at this high level against the best players in the world."

England qualified for the Super 8s at the T20 World Cup at Scotland's expense after Australia completed a dramatic chase to eliminate Richie Berrington's team in St Lucia. 

England's hopes of extending their title defence were left in Australia's hands following their 41-run, rain-affected victory over Namibia in Antigua earlier on Saturday.

That result meant Scotland needed a win to progress, while Australia had already clinched their place in the next stage and had nothing to play for.

England's old enemies did not treat it like a dead rubber, though, as Travis Head (68) and Marcus Stoinis (59) starred with the bat, the latter hitting his total from just 29 balls including nine fours and two maximums.

That ensured they chased down a daunting target of 181 with just two balls to spare as Scotland gave a good account of themselves once again.

It had looked like Scotland's innings might be a short one when Michael Jones went for two after just six balls, but they recovered to reach 92-2 as Brandon McMullen made 60 off 34 deliveries.

However, his vital wicket fell when he got a thick outside edge on Adam Zampa's delivery, Mitchell Starc diving to complete a clean catch.

Skipper Berrington hit an unbeaten 42 but Scotland's total would prove to be insufficient, some expensive bowling costing them as even Safyaan Sharif's two wickets came at a cost of 44 runs. 

While Scotland have now fallen at the first hurdle on five of their six T20 World Cup appearances, England live to fight another day.

The 2022 victors will now face both co-hosts, the United States and West Indies, as well as South Africa, in Group 2 at the Super-8 stage.

Data Debrief: Thrill of the chase for Australia 

Earlier this week, England fans were put on edge when Josh Hazlewood suggested it might be in Australia's "best interests" to take it easy against Scotland and send their old rivals home. 

Six dropped catches from the Australian fielders might have had England fearing the worst as Scotland reached 180-5, but the Aussie batters can never be ruled out.

Their strike rate of 160.2 in the final five overs when chasing at the T20 World Cup is the second highest of any team, behind only West Indies (163.8).

Day two of Euro 2024 picked up the excitement where it left off, with a historic round of games on Saturday.

Switzerland joined Germany level on points at the top of Group A with an impressive 3-1 win over Hungary before Spain cruised to a 3-0 victory over Croatia in their Group B opener with three first-half goals.

Italy's European Championships title defence got off to a perfect start as they bounced back from conceding the earliest goal in the tournament's history (23 seconds) by beating Albania 2-1.

While the football continued to entertain, there was also plenty of action on social media. Here's a pick of some of the best posts.

What might have been for Wimbledon

AFC Wimbledon's official X account drew plenty of attention as the admin latched onto the hype over Jamal Musiala, following the Germany international's magical display against Scotland.

Musiala grew up in England, and represented AFC Wimbledon, via the Corpus Christi Primary School, in the EFL Utilita Kids Cup.

It's clear from the highlights of that match, in which Musiala scored a hat-trick and left defenders mesmerised - a bit like he did on Friday - that he was a special talent.

Embolo back on the scene

Breel Embolo endured an injury-hit campaign for Monaco, but he is back to fitness in time to feature for Switzerland, for whom he remains a crucial player.

And after coming on as a second-half substitute, Embolo sealed the three points as the Swiss beat Hungary 3-1 in the first game of the day. 

As the official Euro 2042 X account pointed out, Embolo has now netted in successive Euros tournaments for his nation.

Birthday boy

Pascal Gross is a newcomer to Germany's squad, and came on for his major tournament debut during Friday's 5-1 thrashing of Scotland.

The Brighton midfielder then celebrated his 33rd birthday on Saturday, with Germany's official X account sharing the celebrations.

That big win over Scotland, and his Euros bow, was surely a great way to welcome in his 34th year.

UEFA turns 70

Gross was not the only one celebrating a birthday on Saturday.

Indeed, UEFA marked the 70th anniversary of its founding, which came on June 15, 1954.

"It's a story of devotion, dedication and dreams..." shared the governing bodies' official X account.

Barcelona show pride of record-breaking youngster

Spain got off to the perfect start in the so-called 'group of death' with a rampant 3-0 win over Croatia on Saturday.

But, when the team sheets came out before the game, all the headlines quickly turned to Lamine Yamal, who became the youngest-ever player to appear at the Euros at 16 years and 338 days.

After an impressive performance by the youngster, Barcelona were quick to remind fans where he came from with a post on X: "He's very good... and he's ours."

Van Dijk, Simons and De Ligt put to the test

The Netherlands are yet to open their campaign in Euro 2024, but put aside their preparation to take some time to answer questions from young fans.

Xavi Simons was quizzed on which defender scares him the most - fellow Dutchman Virgil van Dijk - while the captain and Matthijs de Ligt rated their chances of winning the tournament.

Final preparations

England open their campaign when they take on Serbia in Gelsenkirchen on Sunday, and on Saturday, Gareth Southgate's team ran through their MD-1 training session.

All 26 players were involved in the session, with England allowing their fans to watch on live via a post on X.

Only part of the session was broadcast, however, so any Serbia spies could not garner too much information about Southgate's tactics ahead of the Group C clash.

England's hopes of making it to the Super 8s are still alive after a 41-run victory on DLS over Namibia on Saturday.

The rain heavily delayed the start in Antigua, reducing the match to a 10-over-a-side game.

Despite the must-win nature of the match, England's openers got off to a slow start with Jos Buttler bowled for a duck while Phil Salt was dismissed for just 11.

Harry Brook was the star with 47 not out, with Jonny Bairstow's 31 adding to their cushion, though Ruben Trumpelmann finished strongly for Namibia with a 2-31.

With England finishing on 122-5, Namibia were set a target of 127 on DLS, and their chase got off to a steady start, but by the halfway point, Namibia still needed 92 runs from 30 balls.

Shortly after, Niko Davin retired with 18, and two big catches by Brook took out Michael van Lingen (33) and David Wiese (27) ensured England eased to victory.

Now, England need to hope that Australia beat Scotland in their Group B match, otherwise, the holders will be going out in the group stage.

Data Debrief: England's hopes stay alive

Brook was the standout performer for England on both sides today, stalling Nambia's admittedly slow chase, while contributing the most to their run chase with a knock including four fours and two sixes.

It is his largest run total at the World Cup so far, more than doubling his tally from their defeat to Australia (20).

Harry Kane dreams of winning a major tournament with England to mark "the pinnacle of anyone's career", with the Three Lions star hoping to end his trophy drought at Euro 2024.

Bayern Munich striker Kane will lead his country out once more when Gareth Southgate's side open their European Championship campaign against Serbia on Sunday.

Having fallen short in the delayed Euro 2020 final against Italy, as well as World Clup semi-final elimination to Croatia in 2018, Kane is without international glory – and his lack of club success is much discussed, too.

Kane acknowledged his own shortcomings as the England captain aims for national success in Germany.

"I love playing for my country," he said at Saturday's pre-match press conference. "It means the world to me every time I step out onto the pitch wearing that shirt.

"To win a major tournament with England would be the pinnacle of anyone's career. That's the aim.

"For me personally, the trophies haven't quite happened yet, but it just makes me more determined and more hungry to go out there and do that.

"It starts with this summer, where we have a good opportunity. We have a lot of hard work in front of us, but that opportunity is there and I'm looking forward to making it happen."

Kane is England’s record goalscorer overall (63 goals) and their most prolific player at major tournaments (12 goals at World Cup/Euros).

He scored or assisted in all seven of his starts in qualifying (eight goals, two assists) and heads into this tournament after a fine club season with Bayern.

The former Tottenham forward scored 36 goals in 32 Bundesliga games for the most prolific debut campaign in the competition's history.

Yet international success is all that matters over the next month for Kane.

"Every tournament brings different expectations," Kane added. "We've earned the right to be classed as one of the favourites.

"In past tournaments, we've done a lot of things well and done the country proud but, ultimately, we're here to win it and there'll be nothing better for us and the nation itself than if we do that."

As for his own success, individual achievements are far from Kane's priority.

"Back in 2018, the Golden Boot was an amazing achievement, but that's always a consequence of winning games and trying to win the European Championship, which is what we're trying to do," he said.

"If I win the Golden Boot along the way, fantastic as I'm helping my team.

"We have some great goalscorers in the team, players who are on form, who've had fantastic seasons, so now it's about taking that into a major tournament." 

England have everyone in contention for their Euro 2024 opener against Serbia with Luke Shaw possibly able to appear from the bench, Gareth Southgate has revealed.

The Three Lions begin their fourth – and possibly final – major tournament under Southgate on Sunday, taking on Serbia in their first match in Group C in Gelsenkirchen.

Their preparations have been far from ideal, with Harry Maguire missing the tournament due to a calf injury and fellow centre-back John Stones battling a knock and illness.

Luke Shaw, meanwhile, has not played since February due to a hamstring problem, and was thought unlikely to feature until England's third group game against Slovenia.

However, Southgate has confirmed the Manchester United left-back is in contention to make the bench for Sunday's game, with Stones and the rest of his team-mates fully fit.

"Everyone is available. We have a decision whether Luke is a possible to use from the bench or not but everyone has trained today and is available," Southgate said on Saturday.

England are playing at an 11th edition of the Euros, racking up more games at the tournament (38) than any other team has managed without winning it.

As Southgate looks to end 58 years of hurt at major tournaments, he is breaking the competition down into a series of short-term targets.

"I'm hugely excited," he said. "To lead your country into a major tournament is an amazing honour. I'm very privileged. It's as exciting as it was ahead of Russia, if not more so. 

"In terms of our standing, you've seen Germany and Spain, there are a lot of good teams in this tournament. 

"We firstly have to progress through the group and then there's the opportunity to go further. Our focus is on qualifying from the group.

"When you’re trying to achieve exceptional things, you have to break it down into manageable chunks and the first priority is to get out of the group and work from there."

While many have written Serbia off ahead of the match, head coach Dragan Stojkovic is convinced his side are ready for the challenge of facing a tournament favourite.

"We should have maximum concentration and the quality at the maximum level, and I would not make a difference between the first, second or the third match, each of those matches are of extraordinary importance," Stojkovic told reporters.

"We know that we are starting against one of the favourites playing against England, but we have really done a lot to prepare as best as possible. 

"Trust me, they [the players] can hardly wait for the match to start, because physically and tactically at the same time, I am convinced that we are ready to face the challenges that come with England."

Scotland all-rounder Michael Leask sees no reason why his side cannot score a surprise upset over Australia to secure their T20 World Cup progression on Saturday.

Group B remains wide open heading into the final day of pool action when England face Namibia before Scotland will know what result is required when they meet Australia later in the day.

Scotland are two points clear of England, though Jos Buttler's side have a superior net run-rate after hammering Oman in a complete thrashing on Thursday to keep their Super 8s hopes alive.

England will be expected to overcome Namibia earlier in the day, leaving it likely Scotland must overcome already-qualified Australia to seal their group-stage progression.

Although Scotland have lost all five white-ball meetings with Australia, each coming in the 50-over format, Leask believes his team should be confident heading into the game.

"Australia are one of the best in the world," Leask said.

"It is going to be a tough game, but why can't we go and do what we've done before and cause an upset?"

Scotland are in this position after their washout against England before a commanding victory over Namibia, while Buttler's side are trailing due to their defeat to Australia.

An unlikely scenario still brings the chance for Scotland to lose by a narrow margin and progress even if England beat Namibia, and Leask says this situation was always on the cards.

"We knew coming into this game it would be," he said. "England had two tough games to play and they've played the first one very well.

"We always knew this was going to be a must-win game for us and it's a hell of an opportunity for us to go and play really good cricket and take on one of the best in the world."

Josh Hazlewood mooted the idea that Australia may concede the game in a certain manner to send England out, though team-mate Pat Cummins believes a decision like that is not plausible.

Regardless, Leask insists Scotland are firing on all cylinders before this decider.

"Our boys are firing, we've got some good skill sets, some nice spinners, some good seamers and then batters who are playing really well," Leask said.

"We're going at this game quietly confident. Our batters are probably going to have to step up knowing we're facing the best in the world.

"They've probably got the best all-round bowling attack in the world. It's going to have to be two or three batters in that batting innings that are really going to have to put Australia under the pump with a ball.

"We know that it's capable of happening and that's possible."

Dusan Vlahovic believes Serbia can take confidence from England's 1-0 defeat to Iceland ahead of their Euro 2024 opener in Gelsenkirchen. 

England concluded their preparations for the tournament with a disappointing display at Wembley, with Jon Dagur Thorsteinsson's early goal proving to be the difference.

Vlahovic, who scored 16 goals for Juventus in Serie A, is hopeful of carrying his goal-scoring exploits to Germany for Serbia's first European Championship as an independent nation.

The 24-year-old is set to feature in his second major tournament for his country, having been part of the side who suffered an early exit from the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. 

And Vlahovic believes the Eagles can upset Gareth Southgate's side, who are among the favourites to win the competition. 

“No one is invincible,” Vlahovic said ahead of Sunday's encounter. “We looked at the match against Iceland and there are things that can be copied from them, because they beat them at Wembley in front of 80,000 people.

"Everything is possible. (England) are the favourites, maybe the biggest in the tournament, but we believe in ourselves and we are going step by step to present ourselves in the best light.

"This way we have a calmer environment and can prepare more serenely for the upcoming matches."

Following their encounter against the Three Lions, Serbia travel to Munich to face Slovenia before concluding their group campaign against Denmark. 

Phil Foden could be the Euro 2024 player of the tournament, according to England and Manchester City team-mate John Stones.

Foden scored 19 league goals and added eight assists this season as he lifted a sixth Premier League title with City at the age of just 24.

His efforts saw him named Premier League and Manchester City player of the year, and he now turns his attention to international football as England head to Germany looking to claim a first major tournament victory since winning the World Cup in 1966.

Stones has full confidence in his national and club team-mate's ability to play a crucial role for the Three Lions in Germany.

When asked if Foden could end up winning player of the tournament honours at the Euros, Stones told reporters: "Yes. I'm biased, [but] I think he's absolutely incredible.

"First how he plays the game, so silky playing like he's in the park.

"I feel like he has brought so much to his game, goals, maturity, knowing of situations, his pressing.

"This season has been incredible for him and I hope and I'm sure he will bring that to the tournament."

Stones believes Foden is "100 per cent" among world-class players such as Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham and feels England's attacking prowess alongside Foden could somewhat take the pressure off him.

"I think it probably suits Phil that maybe that [spotlight] is not all on him," Stones added. "We all know the quality that he's got, what he can bring and does for the team.

"I think in these occasions, it's where it brings it out of you and maybe it's time to show the world what he can really do."

Kieran Trippier echoed his fellow Three Lions defender's sentiments on Foden, saying: "To be honest with you, I can't pick out individuals, because everybody has been quality, but obviously Phil Foden is Phil Foden. He's always one of my favourite players.

"With Phil, I could walk back into the camp and he's got a ball at his feet. He's obsessed with football.

"Everybody sees him on the pitch, but what people don't see in training is his vision, his technique, and his ability is frightening."