Gareth: This isn’t about me

GARETH SOUTHGATE wants England to bury the ghosts of a nation – instead of his own.

The Three Lions boss missed the crucial penalty that allowed Germany to win the semi-final shoot-out in 1996 and go on to become European champions.

But Southgate insists tonight is not about him but the players winning it for the country to heal the wounds that have lingered for so long.

“I can’t win this game. It will be the players who win it and it’s important the focus is on them,” said Southgate.

“The opportunity is theirs. What happened to me has helped in many different areas of my life but it’s of no importance to this group of players.

“Every time you play an opponent it’s about two sets of players on any given day.

“It’s about how well they prepared and how well they perform.

“There are always records but at some point that record gets broken.”

Southgate is expected to make few changes, but could recall Mason Mount (above) at the expense of Jack Grealish and he may bring back Phil Foden.

He says his stars want to win for themselves, instead of for him, to maintain their dream of becoming the kings of Europe.

Southgate added: “What’s happened for me as a player is totally irrelevant in terms of this game.

“Of course, I’m always motivated to want to win. It’s an opportunity to get to the quarter-final of a European Championship and it’s the sort of big game that we want to come out on top in.

“This is about our players. This is their moment.”