Jose Mourinho has picked his former Manchester United player Luke Shaw in his ideal England team to take on Germany tonight.
The former United boss has also tipped England to progress all the way to the Euro 2020 final if they overcome Joachim Low's side at Wembley (5pm kick-off).
Mourinho has urged Gareth Southgate to play a back five against the Germans, with Shaw next to his United teammate Harry Maguire in the three central defenders. He's picked both Kyle Walker and Reece James, but there is no place for United forward Marcus Rashford or their current transfer target Jadon Sancho.
Discussing England's chances on talkSPORT, Mourinho said: “Sweden, Ukraine, Denmark, Czech Republic… Come on, beat Germany and they go to the final."
He also believes that Southgate will have extra motivation against the team who dumped England out of Euro 96 when the England boss was a player, missing a crucial penalty in the shootout.
“I don't believe that Gareth forgot it," Mourinho said on the 1996 heartbreak.
“I never forgot some important penalty shootouts that I lost and I was not a taker. He never forgot it. There is only one way for him to forget it and that is tonight.
“His team to beat Germany and to go, I believe then, to the finals.
“When you look at what we can get after this one, of course good teams, Sweden, Ukraine, Denmark, Czech Republic, but tonight is for me the semi-final.”
On the formation England should use, Mourinho explained his decision to play three centre-backs.
“I would go to a back three, especially as England know how to do it," he added. "It’s not like Gareth wakes up yesterday and decides to play a back three. It’s something they did for the last two or three years. Something they did for the national team many times.
“But they are playing with a back four, they did it with three consecutive clean sheets, which is very important and shows how solid they are.
“For me, with a back four or back three, it doesn’t matter. I accept any decisions Gareth makes. I trust him, I trust the team and hopefully at 7pm we are celebrating.”
Mourinho's England XI (5-2-3): Pickford; Walker, Stones, Maguire, Shaw, James; Philips, Rice; Grealish, Sterling, Kane.
