Jamie Carragher has defended Gareth Southgate over his bizarre claim that England are 'struggling to replace' Kalvin Phillips, insisting the manager has 'never really had' a suitable partner for Declan Rice since the axed Three Lions star.

Despite sitting top of Group C after their opening two Euro 2024 matches, England have looked listless, dull and unconvincing so far in Germany, following up Sunday's 1-0 win over Serbia with a disappointing 1-1 draw against Denmark on Thursday.

Liverpool full-back Trent Alexander-Arnold, who started both games in midfield alongside Arsenal star Declan Rice, has ultimately struggled to run the game in the engine room for England and was hooked off by Southgate early in the second half for Conor Gallagher against the Danes.

In a damning assessment of the Liverpool star's performance, Roy Keane claimed that Rice was forced to 'babysit' Alexander-Arnold in midfield, highlighting that the centre of the park is a real problem area for England.

After the match, Southgate admitted that Alexander-Arnold's new position was an 'experiment' to fill the void left by Manchester City midfielder Phillips, who starred for the Three Lions at both Euro 2020 and the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Gareth Southgate bizarrely claimed England are 'struggling to replace' Kalvin Phillips

Quizzed about Alexander-Arnold's display, Southgate replied: 'He's had some moments where he has delivered what we thought he would.

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'We know it is an experiment and we don't have a natural replacement for Kalvin Phillips, but we're trying some different things and at the moment we're not flowing as we'd like, that's for sure.'

As fans swarmed to social media to mock the England boss, Carragher defended Southgate's comments and suggested that he may have a point. 

'I think the point he was trying to make was that since the last Euros when Phillips was one of England’s best players, he’s never really had a recognised partner for Rice,' the Liverpool legend said. 

'He’s tried lots of different combinations without anyone really nailing it.'

Phillips has struggled significantly for minutes at Manchester City since his move from Leeds United in 2022 and failed to impress on his short-term loan spell at West Ham last campaign, earning just three starts in the Premier League all season.

As a result, Southgate admitted earlier this year that he could not continue to pick Phillips based on his lack of form and regular minutes, paving way for the likes of Manchester United's Kobbie Mainoo and Crystal Palace's Adam Wharton making England's 26-man Euros squad. 

Ex-England vice-captain Jordan Henderson, who previously partnered Rice in midfield in the absence of Phillips, has also been axed from the squad following his failed £350,000 per week move to Saudi Arabian outfit Al-Ettifaq and subsequent transfer to current club Ajax.

Responding to Southgate's Phillips admission, Ian Wright claimed that Wharton is the best option to play in midfield alongside Rice and urged the Three Lions boss to play him against Slovenia on Tuesday in England's final group stage game.