Highlights

• Joe Hart, once England's undisputed number one goalkeeper, has settled at Celtic after experiencing a decline in his career.
• Kyle Walker, a consistent performer for England, stayed at Manchester City despite interest from Bayern Munich.
• John Stones, who played the best football of his career last season, will be crucial to England's defense in Euro 2024.

October 8, 2016 was the first time Gareth Southgate took charge of an England game, overseeing a clash against the mighty Malta at Wembley Stadium. Fast-forward almost seven years later, and the Three Lions have changed considerably, mostly for the better. A World Cup semi-final appearance, and getting to the final of the Euros, tournaments have been far kinder to England than they have been before.

Now, ahead of England's next quest for success at Euro 2024, we've taken a look at the starting line-up Southgate named in that first match of his against Malta, and it's fair to say there have been some significant changes since then.

GK - Joe Hart

Once the main man for both Manchester City and England, Joe Hart was the undisputed number one during the mid-2010s until a certain Pep Guardiola came to the Premier League and wanted his goalkeepers playing out from the back. The now 36-year-old was ousted at club level and subsequently faded from international recognition too, and after some low-key moves elsewhere, has finally settled on Celtic for the past couple of years.

The former England star has tasted relative success with the Hoops though, winning back-to-back league titles at Parkhead and picking up a couple of domestic cups along the way too. At 36 and of course playing in goal, Hart is by no means done yet in terms of playing on in Scottish football, but his time representing his country is surely well and truly up now.

RB - Kyle Walker

One of the names from that first team-sheet that is still very much in Southgate's plans, Kyle Walker has been a consistent performer for England over the years. The Manchester City star hasn't lost any of the pace that made him such a nightmare to play against, and at international level where there are such fine margins, that speed can be such a god-send. You only had to look at his impressive performance in trying to keep Kylian Mbappe quiet during last year's World Cup to see that.

Walker did have the opportunity to leave the Etihad this summer with Bayern Munich said to be pushing for his signature, but the right-back stayed put and looks set to be another key player for both club and country. A man who can be relied upon in the big games by both Guardiola and Southgate.

CB - John Stones

Arguably playing the best football of his career last season, John Stones has come on leaps and bounds since 2016, eradicating some of the sloppy mistakes and still being as good as ever in possession. Guardiola has even entrusted him with stepping into midfield in certain games and that's a real stamp of approval on the centre-back's technical ability.

Given his previous tournament experience, and the fact he is usually a regular starter for Manchester City when fit, Southgate will no doubt be leaning a lot on Stones come the summer. If England are to stand any chance of keeping things tight at the back, then you would figure the City man will be crucial to those hopes.

CB - Gary Cahill

The first player on this list to now have officially retired, Gary Cahill was a stalwart for both club and country during the 2010s. The centre-back played 191 times for Chelsea, winning numerous trophies along the way, and it was no surprise that he was a favourite at international level too.

After leaving Stamford Bridge back in 2019, Cahill would join fellow Premier League side Crystal Palace to be reunited with Roy Hodgson, with whom he had worked together previously with England. The former defender would spend two years at Selhurst Park before a short spell at Bournemouth, and would announce his retirement from the game in November 2022.

LB - Ryan Bertrand

Once touted as a potential successor to Ashley Cole at Chelsea, Ryan Bertrand has fallen well out of the picture now and is still without a club after his deal with Leicester expired over the summer. The left-back really came into his own during a six-year spell with Southampton, and his consistency at St Mary's saw him rewarded with England caps at a time when the country wasn't blessed with too many left-back options.

Bertrand signed a two-year deal with Leicester back in 2021, but after the Foxes' relegation from the Premier League last season, it was announced the defender would be leaving on his contract was up. It remains to be seen now whether a team takes a chance on the 34-year-old or whether he calls it quits himself.

CM - Jordan Henderson

A regular in 2016, a regular in 2023. Jordan Henderson has been a permanent fixture in Southgate's England squads since day one, and given the kind of player and professional he is, it's no surprise to see why. The midfielder captained Liverpool in the post-Steven Gerrard era, and helped deliver a Champions League and long-awaited Premier League too in his time at Anfield.

The former Reds skipper did however make the controversial move to the Saudi Pro League to reunite with Gerrard at Al-Ettifaq, and questions over his place in the team and even the squad in the coming weeks and months will surely grow. Southgate will have a big job on his hand convincing people that Henderson deserves to retain his place whilst playing in a league considerably lower in level than the Premier League.

CM - Dele Alli

A player whose career has taken a tragic downturn since the heady heights enjoyed under Mauricio Pochettino at Tottenham, Dele Alli's star has fallen further than perhaps anyone from this team-sheet back in 2016. Once a great attacking midfielder whose ability to arrive late in the box and score goals drew comparisons with the likes of Frank Lampard, Alli's career has nosedived in the past couple of seasons in particular.

A dreadful end to his spell at Spurs followed a nightmare at fellow Premier League side Everton, before the now 27-year-old tried to reignite his career out in Turkey with Besiktas. His recent appearance on a podcast with Gary Neville, and opening up over some of the struggles he has faced both growing up and whilst in football has certainly added context to why Alli has failed to reproduce his former form, and the hope will be that before anything on the pitch, the ex-England star can finally get to a good place off it.

CM - Wayne Rooney

A Manchester United and England icon, Wayne Rooney was coming off the end of his peak years back in 2016, and was even dropping further back into midfield to make use of his footballing brain and ability. The country's record goalscorer until Harry Kane surpassed him, Rooney returned to Everton at club level a year after the game against Malta, before then enjoying spells at DC United and Derby County to round off his playing career.

The now 37-year-old has made his way into management since retiring, and after a couple of years at Pride Park with Derby, took over the permanent job at one of his other former clubs, DC United. A return to manage in English football in the near future isn't out of the question, so it shouldn't be too long before we see Rooney back in England.

RW - Theo Walcott

Another retiree on this list, Theo Walcott was enjoying some of his best years in football during 2016. The former Arsenal star in fact enjoyed his second-best campaign in that year, scoring 19 goals in 37 appearances across all competitions at the Emirates, and it was no surprise to see him being a regular at international level with England too.

Given that a lot of what made Walcott stand out was his sheer pace, his decline in recent seasons was perhaps to be expected, and the Gunners duly sold him in January 2018 to Everton. After three years at Goodison Park, the former winger made a return to back where it all started with Southampton, and spent the final three years of his career at St Mary's. With a record of eight goals in 47 games for England, Walcott certainly had his moments for the Three Lions.

LW - Jesse Lingard

2016 was the year for Jesse Lingard, with the former Manchester United star bagging the winner in the FA Cup final against Crystal Palace after coming on as a substitue for Juan Mata in the second-half. The attacking midfielder would then come into his own the following season at Old Trafford, netting 13 goals in 48 games in the 2017/2018 campaign. His former however tailed off significantly in the years after that though, and it was a loan spell at West Ham where he bagged nine goals in 16 Premier League games that saw him catch the eye again.

Lingard would then come back to prominence when he signed for Nottingham Forest in the summer of 2022, become their highest-paid player in the process. But after no goals and no assists in his 17 top-flight games, the former England star was let go by Forest come the end of the season and is still waiting to sign with a club even after the transfer window has shut closed - in fact, he features on our top 15 free agents with the highest market value.

ST - Daniel Sturridge

Up front in Southgate's first ever England XI, Daniel Sturridge was still playing for Liverpool in 2016. The striker came into that new season off the back of scoring 13 goals in just 25 games the previous campaign, and clearly had the trust of his manager at international to still be delivering the goods even when not a Premier League regular.

As most football fans will know, Sturridge's career was blighted by injuries, and his inability to stay fit meant that he never crossed the 30 appearances threshold in any of the years after 2016. It was no surprise then that he only managed one-year spells with the likes of West Brom, Trabzonspor and Perth Glory before it was announced that he would be going onto punditry duty with Sky Sports.

READ MORE: England Euro 2024 squad: The 23 players Gareth Southgate should select