Euro 2024: Tripper says fitness issues not an excuse for England

Kieran Tripper says England cannot usage deficiency of fittingness arsenic an excuse for coming up short successful nan Euro 2024 final.

Spain ran-out 2-1 winners pinch a later victor successful Berlin connected Sunday nighttime to crush nan Three Lions hopes of landing their first awesome silverware successful 58 years.

England ne'er mislaid a crippled erstwhile Trippier started… 🖤🤍

See you backmost successful nan Toon Tripps 👏#Euro2024 | #NUFC | https://t.co/0umJ3sU0jf pic.twitter.com/Vo9e1Rjp9a

— BBC Sport Tyne & Wear (@bbcnewcastle) July 14, 2024

In nan aftermath of Mikel Oyarzabal’s 86th infinitesimal goal, Gareth Southgate claimed immoderate of his squad came up ‘a small spot short of their beingness peak’ during nan tournament, thing which he claimed was exacerbated by having to play extra-time successful bid to flooded Slovakia successful nan last-16 and Switzerland successful nan quarter-finals.

He added: “The beingness toll of nan issues we came into nan tourney with, nan other clip periods, and past having arsenic small of nan shot (in nan final) arsenic we did, yet that took a large toll and was portion of nan logic why astatine nan extremity legs started to spell and you commencement to make mistakes.

“The players person pushed it to nan 85th infinitesimal of nan last game, they person been unthinkable really. So galore of our players came successful to nan campy having missed nan extremity of nan season. That beingness toll was decidedly an rumor for us.

“There was a batch stacked against america successful position of having a time little to retrieve (after nan semi-final) and having had nan other clip periods we did too.”

Trippier was 1 of respective players who missed crippled clip successful nan 2nd half of nan play – playing only 73 minutes crossed Newcastle’s last 11 Premier League games aft a calf wounded – but nan right-back insists fittingness issues should not beryllium considered an excuse.

“The squad we person sewage is fit,” he insisted. “If you spot nan stats I deliberation we are astir apt nan highest successful nan full tourney – truthful that’s not an excuse.

“They sewage nan 2nd extremity and it’s ever difficult erstwhile you’re chasing nan crippled against a squad for illustration Spain. Football is each astir good margins. It’s 1 of those wherever nan lads gave everything.”

Trippier scored England’s opener successful nan 2018 World Cup semi-final and besides started nan Euro 2020 Final, though he was replaced by Luke Shaw successful Berlin connected Sunday having started England’s first six games successful Germany.

He hailed nan effect of England’s young-guns astatine this tournament, pinch 19-year-old Kobbie Mainoo, 21-year-old Jude Bellingham and 22-year-old Cole Palmer each contributing to their tally to nan second stages, and thinks nan early is promising.

“The young players stepped up successful large moments for us. They tin study a batch from this,” he said. “It will make them grow.

“They will person learned a awesome woody from this tournament.”