Rio Ferdinand has delivered his verdict when discussing Chelsea's Conor Gallagher and his potential position in the England team.

Gareth Southgate's England side have now mathematically qualified for the knockout rounds at Euro 2024, but there's been a lot of fan unrest in response to the performances in the group stages so far.

England edged past Serbia with a 1-0 win. Afterwards, they were held to a 1-1 draw with Denmark.

The Three Lions will still finish top of their group if they beat Slovenia on Tuesday night.

The Athletic claims that Conor Gallagher is set to replace Trent Alexander-Arnold in England's starting XI against Slovenia.

When reacting to the suggestion that Gallagher may start against Slovenia, Ferdinand said: "No way. We're trying to get control in the game and we're going to bring Gallagher on. No chance."

While we think Ferdinand's assessment is a bit harsh, we understand Gallagher is not the profile in midfield that focuses on ball retention. His strengths lie with energy, pressing and adding a goal threat.

Don't underestimate the Chelsea midfielder The Chelsea Chronicle doesn't expect Gallagher's selection to be too popular with England supporters.

In fairness, the box-to-box midfielder doesn't possess the kind of star quality that exists in players such as Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden.

However, don't let the Chelsea man's reputation fool you. He's still a quality operator in midfield on and off the ball, which is why he played such a key role for his club side last season.

Everyone knows the 24-year-old player will run himself into the ground, and perhaps his energy can give a much-needed lift to England. He's looked okay coming off the bench in his nation's two tournament matches so far, but it should be a much easier task stamping his authority in the XI.

If England press higher up the pitch, Gallagher could have the desired impact on Tuesday night.