Rio Ferdinand claims England star has to start in Euro 2024 Q/F against Switzerland, says he'll walk back home if he doesn't
Rio Ferdinand believes Kobbie Mainoo needs to start for England in their UEFA Euro 2024 clash against Switzerland. The two sides will face off in the quarter-finals at the Merkur Spiel Arena on Saturday, July 6.
The Three Lions have reached the quarter-finals but have put in disappointing performances in all four of their games so far. They beat Serbia 1-0 in their opening game before drawing 1-1 against Denmark and 0-0 against Slovenia. They then beat Slovakia in extra time in the Round of 16 and were arguably fortunate to qualify for the next round.
Regardless, they will now face Switzerland in the quarter-finals, and manager Gareth Southgate is reportedly set to make a big change to the lineup. As per ITV Football, he is set to start a back three, with Kobbie Mainoo and Declan Rice in midfield.
Responding to a tweet with England's potential lineup for the Euro 2024 quarter-finals, Rio Ferdinand wrote on X:
"If Kobbie ain’t starting, I’m walking back from Germany! Has to…."
Mainoo, 19, played just four minutes in England's first Euro 2024 game while remaining on the bench in the next game. He then played one half against Slovenia before playing 84 minutes against Slovakia. The youngster impressed during his time on the pitch and will likely keep his starting spot.
England and Switzerland's route to Euro 2024 quarter-finals and potentially final
The Three Lions topped a dull Group C at Euro 2024 and were the only team in the entire group to manage a win. They finished at the top with five points, two above Denmark and Slovenia. They then faced Slovakia in the Round of 16.
Slokavia took the lead in the 25th minute through Ivan Schranz and England trailed until the 94th minute. Jude Bellingham then stepped up and scored a brilliant overhead kick to take it to extra time. Harry Kane then scored in the first minute of the first half of extra time to seal the win.
Switzerland, meanwhile, finished second in Group A with five points, two fewer than hosts Germany. They beat Hungary 3-1 before playing out 1-1 draws against Scotland and Germany. They then faced Italy in the Round of 16. The Rossocrociati completely dominated the game and comfortably won 2-0.
The winner of England vs Switzerland will face the winner of the Netherlands vs Turkiye in the semi-final on July 10. The winner will face France, Portugal, Spain or Germany in the final on July 14.