Gareth Southgate says he will not rest players vs Malta and North Macedonia

England have gotten off to a terrific start in the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifiers. The Three Lions claimed back to back wins against Italy and Ukraine as they face Malta and North Macedonia in June. England manager Gareth Southgate has been pressurized by domestic teams to rest players for the International break.

However, Southgate stated no players will be rested for the fixtures against Malta and North Macedonia. He stated that England skipper and record goalscorer Harry Kane will not like to miss matches for his country.

"We are representing England. Caps have to be earned. Harry Kane won't want to miss England matches, I'll tell you that now. There's physical freshness and psychological freshness, and I think psychological is key," said Southgate.

Gareth Southgate believes that not selecting one or two players due to fitness reasons will send a poor message to the rest of the squad. Marcus Rashford missed the qualifiers after picking up a nigggle against Fulham in the FA Cup quarterfinals.

"If we don't select certain players it sends the wrong message to the group. What's to stop others pulling out? You could end up with a shambles. As you saw this week, if you lose one or two players with injury in the week then very quickly you are short," said Southgate.