Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson has tipped one Manchester United star to play a key role in the final of Euro 2024 between Spain and England on Sunday.
Both England and Spain are within touching distance of the Henri Delaunay trophy after their comeback wins in the Euro 2024 semi-finals in Germany.
Spain were the first of the two teams to progress to the final of this summer’s Euros after coming from 1-0 down to beat tournament favourites France 2-1 on Tuesday.
England, on the other hand, managed to overcome the Netherlands in Dortmund and the Three Lions picked up a 2-1 victory at the Westfalenstadion on Wednesday.
Gareth Southgate’s men were considered one of the favourites to win the tournament, despite largely underwhelming with their performances at Euro 2024.
Spain are widely tipped as the favourites going into the Euro 2024 final after an impressive campaign, with La Roja winning all six of their matches so far.
Merson talks Man Utd star in Euro 2024 final
Kobbie Mainoo and Luke Shaw are the two Manchester United players in England’s Euro 2024 squad and are both key players for manager Gareth Southgate.
Luke Shaw made his return to action in the knockout rounds of Euro 2024 after the United left-back was in a race to recover from his injury.
The 29-year-old, who missed the second half of United’s season due to injury, came off the bench in England’s wins against Switzerland and the Netherlands.
Kobbie Mainoo has had a remarkable tournament with England and has become a pivotal midfield presence for the Three Lions as Euro 2024 progressed.
The 19-year-old United midfielder has earned rave reviews for his performances, including his stunning display against the Netherlands in the semi-finals.
Speaking in his column for Sportskeeda, Paul Merson has insisted that Shaw should start for England and could play a key role in nullifying Nico Williams and Lamine Yamal.
“If the England side that played the first half against Holland shows up, then I fancy them to get the job done,” he said.
“Spain will not change the way they play, so it all depends on which England side shows up on the day.
“Luke Shaw got some more minutes under his belt and I expect him to start this game.
“I just hope England go with four at the back as the likes of Kyle Walker and Shaw can be tasked with handling Williams and Yamal, while the two central defenders can try to neutralise Alvaro Morata’s threat.”
Merson makes scoreline prediction for Spain vs England
Merson has backed England to beat Spain 2-1 in the Euro 2024 final, despite admitting that the Three Lions could be blown “out of the water” in one outcome.
“England were outstanding in the first half and absolutely destroyed Holland, but fair play to Ronald Koeman as his side looked a lot better after the interval,” he said.
“In fact, before [Ollie] Watkins’ winner, I thought Holland looked more likely to score the winner than England as they grew into the second half.
“Spain won’t do what Holland did against England – they will play their own game and look to take the game to the opposition as they’ve done so at Euro 2024 so far.
“England have been solid with three at the back, but with Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams on the flanks, Spain have the perfect set-up to play against a team that lines up with a back three.
“It’s going to be a game of chess – which one of these two sides will blink first? I can’t really explain this, but I think England will just nick it or Spain will blow England out of the water.”
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