Sturridge reveals player he is genuinely shocked that Southgate hasn't used yet

Former England forward Daniel Sturridge has revealed the Three Lions player that he is surprised not to have seen at Euro 2024 yet.

England's tournament has stagnated in Germany on the back of a 1-1 draw with Denmark on Thursday, with fans and pundits criticising the performance from Gareth Southgate's team.

Though they are all but certain to reach the last 16 of the competition, they have lacked fluidity in attack, raising questions given the talent available to the England manager.

Southgate made a triple change in the second half, taking off all three forwards - Harry Kane, Phil Foden and Bukayo Saka - and replacing them with Ollie Watkins, Eberechi Eze and Jarrod Bowen.

Sturridge, having called for Eze earlier on in the game was left puzzled that one star wasn't introduced, meaning he is yet to see any action at the tournament despite his impressive season at club level.

'I'm genuinely shocked we haven't seen Cole Palmer grace the field yet,' Sturridge, who made 94 appearances for England, posted on X, formerly Twitter.

Palmer picked up 22 goals and 11 assists in 33 appearances in his the Premier League during his debut season for Chelsea, finishing second in both the Golden Boot race and the assist charts.

He has four caps for England so far, but appears to be down the pecking order for Southgate, with the likes of Bowen and Eze seemingly ranked ahead of him.

After the game, television cameras caught the moment that Southgate attempted to shake hands with Palmer, who barely looked his manager in the eyes and cut a frustrated figure.

Fans backed the forward in response, with one writing on X: 'I'd be p****d too', and another sharing: 'Well I don't blame him.'

The 22-year-old is one of just three attacking players yet to see a minute at the tournament, alongside Anthony Gordon and Ivan Toney.

Midfielder Adam Wharton is also yet to feature, alongside four defenders and two goalkeepers.

Sturridge played for England under Southgate, including being in the squad for the 2018 World Cup, though questioned his former manager's call on Palmer.

Southgate is expected to make changes to his side for their final group game against Slovenia, with Palmer an option in midfield for the Three Lions boss.