Marc Guehi only has 11 caps for England (Photo: Getty)
Paul Merson has admitted he is worried about England’s defence at Euro 2024, especially Marc Guehi’s inexperience at international level.
The Euros are now just days away with the Three Lions’ opening game against Serbia on Sunday night in Gelsenkirchen.
Though his side are one of the favourites, Gareth Southgate has a number of tricky issues to deal with, most notably dealing with a back-line ravaged by injury and fitness issues.
Left-back Luke Shaw is back in training but won’t be available until the second group game against Denmark, with right-back Kieran Trippier set to take his place for now.
Moreover, Southgate has heavily relied on the centre-back partnership of John Stones and Harry Maguire over the years, but the former missed training on Wednesday with illness, while the latter didn’t make the plane to Germany due to an ongoing calf injury.
It is expected that the Manchester United star will be replaced by Guehi who has been quietly sensational for Crystal Palace for three seasons but lacks minutes on the international stage, with just 11 caps so far.
Merson is concerned that it could be difficult for the 23-year-old to transition quickly from Palace’s tactics to England’s, but still backs him to start over alternative options Lewis Dunk, Ezri Konsa and Joe Gomez.
Guehi has thrived for Crystal Palace over the past three seasons (Photo: Getty)
The Arsenal and England hero told Sky Sports: ‘Harry Maguire was a certainty to play. He never lets England down. I like Marc Guehi but playing for England at a tournament will be a different experience for him.
‘He plays for Crystal Palace who don’t generally have a lot of the ball. The Palace defence is generally under a lot of pressure, and they defend on the edge of the penalty area. There’s a lot of defending to do and you are always busy.
‘However, for England, he’s going to be playing in these games and we are likely to have 70 per cent of the ball in these group games. You’ve got to be alive and switched on the whole time.
‘In international football, if you switch off for half a second the ball will be in the back of the net and you’ll be punished.
‘I do like Guehi and I’m pleased he’s been given this chance. I would go for him and John Stones as starters, but defensively I do worry for England. We are not the greatest at the back.’
Guehi started both of England’s warmup games last week, struggling in the win over Bosnia but was one of the better players in the defeat to Iceland.
Guehi and Eberechi Eze are two of four Palace players in the squad (Photo: Getty)
The defender is one of four Palace players in the squad along with Dean Henderson, Adam Wharton and Eberechi Eze, and Merson believes the attacking midfielder could well be the breakout star of the Euros.
‘Eze just glides past players and looks like the X-factor,’ he added.
‘At tournaments, you always get a player who comes out of the blue and becomes a superstar. We’ve seen it at World Cups and Euros over the years. For me, Eze could be that player.’
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