Gareth Southgate will have breathed a sigh of relief when the full-time whistle in Sunday’s 1-0 win over Romania meant his England side had come through their final warm-up game unscathed.
A full bill of health was the ultimate priority after losing Trent Alexander-Arnold last time out – but the fitness of Jordan Henderson and Harry Maguire looks set to remain a major talking point at this tournament.
Henderson made his long-awaited return to action as a half-time substitute and, while there were some signs of rustiness on the ball, he played the pass which led to the second penalty and appeared to come through the run-out in good shape – although his over-eagerness to make his mark by taking the penalty off Dominic Calvert-Lewin was a bad call.
The Croatia game is almost certain to come too soon for the Liverpool midfielder but it appears he could play a role later in the tournament.
Southgate hopes the same will be true of Maguire, who returned to training with the squad this week only a month after suffering ankle ligament damage in action for Manchester United.
Southgate will be wary of rushing him back, but England’s warm-up games showed how they miss his leadership at the back. Tyrone Mings, the senior man in the backline at the Riverside Stadium on Sunday, looked shaky
