Gareth Southgate, 53, the manager of the Three Lions, revealed the seven players he had left out of his first 33-man roster.
It was previously reported that Liverpool’s Jarell Quansah and Curtis Jones had not been included in the squad, although Jones had stayed on standby. James Maddison had reportedly left the camp after discovering he had been left out.
James Trafford, Southgate’s backup goalie, was subsequently benched in favor of Jordan Pickford, Aaron Ramsdale, and Dean Henderson.
Then came the shocking revelation that Jack Grealish and Harry Maguire, two seasoned veterans, had been overlooked.
The 31-year-old Maguire of Manchester United, who hasn’t played since April because of a calf problem, was already questionable, and the 63-cap defender lost his fitness race.
Grealish, on the other hand, was a more surprising absence given that he only made 10 Premier League starts the previous season due to his falling out of Pep Guardiola’s favor at Man City.
The seventh player to be removed was Jarrad Branthwaite, a defender for Everton, but numerous more aspirants were left out entirely.
Here is a look at the remarkable roster of English players that will not be traveling to Germany. This alternate team would be quite competitive at the European Championship.
Following a dislocated shoulder injury in December, Nick Pope, the goaltender for Newcastle, was all but out of the picture. Although he was able to return for their final match, he was unable to persuade Southgate that he was fit enough to play at Trafford.
The two most seasoned players are Marcus Rashford and Raheem Sterling, who should not be paired with Newcastle’s Callum Wilson.
Add players like Tammy Abraham, Mason Mount, and Jadon Sancho, who was a finalist in the Champions League, to Grealish and Maddison, and this other squad would have undoubtedly offered a lot of goal threat as well.
“There’s no doubt,” Southgate responded when asked if the squad announcement was one of his hardest days as manager.
We’re a close team, and the impending decision has affected every member of the staff and players over the past few days.
