Jurgen Klinsmann has called on football to abandon the move from three to five permitted substitutes.

The change was initially made during the Covid-19 pandemic, with teams still only allowed three windows outside half-time and full-time breaks to make their changes. Individual leagues opted to keep the change in place after its original introduction as a special measure, while international tournaments – including the recent European Championships – also allowed teams to make five subs.

Neither team made the maximum five changes in the Euro 2024 final. England made just three, with Spain waiting until the 89th minute to make their fourth.

Klinsmann, who managed South Korea at the most recent Asian Cup, understands the motivation behind making the rule change to begin with. However, he believes it’s time to go back to how things were.

“[Gareth] Southgate said that he was going to substitute [Jude] Bellingham just before Mikel Oyarzabal’s winner,” Klinsmann told The Sun. “The problem now for us coaches is, with five subs allowed, you always think you can bring on fresh legs.

“I hate that because I want Bellingham to fight through it. If your mindset is right you can do that. You can have tired legs and can still absolutely make the difference.

“If you ask a player after 70 minutes, “Are you tired?” then I’m sure he’s tired but it becomes a handy excuse now because of that five-subs rule,” he added. “It’s a Covid rule and Covid is finished. I’d go back to three subs and 23-man squads for tournaments.”

England made the maximum five substitutions in their Euro 2024 semi-final ( 
Image:
Getty Images)
England benefited from leaving Bellingham on the pitch against Slovakia, with the Real Madrid midfielder scoring a last-gasp equaliser to keep Southgate’s team in the competition. There was little time to respond after Oyarzabal’s winner in Berlin, though, with a goalline clearance from Dani Olmo preserving Spain’s advantage to see them crowned champions.

After the game, defender Kieran Trippier refused to blame fatigue for England’s second successive Euros final defeat. “The team that we’ve got is fit,” he said. “If you see the running stats, we’re probably the highest in the whole tournament. So that’s not an excuse.”

England named a relatively youthful squad for the tournament, with 21-year-old Bellingham and 19-year-old Kobbie Mainoo starting the final. “They will have learned a great deal from his tournament,” Newcastle full-back Trippier said of the younger squad members.

‘The young players stepped up in big moments for us, Cole (Palmer) came on and scored, assisted Ollie (Watkins) in the last game. I’ve been through this situation before. The young players can learn a lot from this. It will make them grow.”