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England have one player that Rodri wants to ‘remove’ ahead of the Euro 2024 final against Spain
Manchester City’s Rodri has selected one player he would like to ‘remove’ from the England team ahead of this weekend’s European Championships final in Berlin.
Spain and the Three Lions go head-to-head for the elusive trophy on Sunday night having endured largely contrasting routes to the final throughout the ongoing European Championships campaign this summer.
Whilst Luis de la Fuente’s side have successfully won all of their matches across the tournament, showcasing arguably the best football standard in the process, England have been subjected to criticism from fans and media alike for their tactical set-up and approach.
Nevertheless, the fight and relentless tenacity of Gareth Southgate’s players have seen them emerge victorious en route to Berlin, with their latest scalp seeing them come from behind to defeat the Netherlands in Dortmund.
The match-up between England and Spain will see Rodri take on a trio of Manchester City teammates, and one member of Pep Guardiola’s side was subject to special praise from the 28-year-old defensive midfielder.
Speaking during a new interview with AS this week, Rodri has selected a fellow Manchester City star when quizzed on which one England player he would like to ‘remove’ if possible for this Sunday’s Euros final showdown in the German capital.
“They have a lot of them,” Rodri admitted. “I love Phil Foden because I know him, he’s with me (at Manchester City). He’s a player who has to be kept under control because he has an innate ability to move in a small space.”
Despite selecting Foden, Rodri was keen to insist on England having a strong all-round squad, as he continued, “There are many players who can do a lot of damage. I don’t like to focus on one. I like to take a complete picture of England. And we go with our weapons, one on one.”
Manchester City are expected to return for the start of their pre-season schedule from Monday 15 July, while those who took part in the latter stages of the European Championships and Copa America will be issued with a minimum of three weeks holiday.
As such, the likes of City’s representatives in the Euro 2024 final are unlikely to return to duties under Pep Guardiola until much later this month, and perhaps not until the opening days of August.
Pep Guardiola and his Manchester City players have four pre-season matches scheduled in the United States, where they will take on Premier League rivals Chelsea, Scottish Premier League champions Celtic, and European giants FC Barcelona and AC Milan along the east coast.
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