Harry Maguire and Jack Grealish have been left out of England’s squad for Euro 2024 this summer.
Maguire will miss the tournament in Germany through injury while Grealish has not done enough to convince Gareth Southgate of a spot.
The final England squad for the European Championship has since been announced, trimming the list down from 33 to 26.
It’s been confirmed James Maddison and Curtis Jones have left the training camp after being told they are not in the final squad.
And now Maguire and Grealish have been informed they too will be left at home this summer in a huge call from Southgate.
Meanwhile, James Trafford, Jarell Quansah and Jarrad Branthwaite are the other players omitted from the provisional squad.
It means England fans are only waiting on the official release of the 26-man squad for Euro 2024, which will include Eberechi Eze, Kobbie Mainoo and Adam Wharton, who was highly praised by for his debut international display on Monday night.
England’s Euro 2024 26-man squad
Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford (Everton), Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Aaron Ramsdale (Arsenal).
Defenders: Lewis Dunk (Brighton), Joe Gomez (Liverpool), Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Luke Shaw (Man Utd), John Stones (Manchester City), Kieran Trippier (Newcastle), Kyle Walker (Manchester City).
Midfielders: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Conor Gallagher (Chelsea), Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United), Declan Rice (Arsenal), Adam Wharton (Crystal Palace).
Forwards: Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Jarrod Bowen (West Ham), Eberechi Eze (Crystal Palace), Phil Foden (Manchester City), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Cole Palmer (Chelsea), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Ivan Toney (Brentford), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa).
Grealish, a £100million signing for Manchester City, has certainly not had his best year for the Premier League champions and England are well-stocked for wide options.
He managed just 20 appearances in the Premier League this season, scoring three times.
However, the loss of Maguire might hit Southgate harder, who has counted on the Manchester United defender in his back four throughout his time in charge.
It means that England will need to find a partner for John Stones at the back, with the options left including Marc Guehi, Joe Gomez, Lewis Dunk and Ezri Konsa.
Confirming his omission, Manchester United defender Maguire said he was ‘devastated’ to miss out but was still struggling with his fitness.
He has been a key player for the past three major tournaments and has 63 caps to his name.
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Maguire said on X: “I am devastated not to have been selected to play for England at the Euros this summer. Despite my best efforts, I have not been able to overcome an injury to my calf.
“Maybe I pushed myself too hard, to try and make it. Simply, I am absolutely gutted.
“For me, representing England is the highest honour. It means everything to me.
“If I can’t help the team as a player, I will support them as a fan – along with the rest of the country. Go and win it boys.
“Next, I will return to the supervision of the Manchester United medical team in order to prepare for next season.”
Southgate had already decided to drop big names from his squad before unveiling his initial 33-man list including Marcus Rashford, Jordan Henderson, Raheem Sterling and Ben White.
With Grealish and Maguire failing to make the final squad, Maddison was another high-profile name axed and the Tottenham star also posted an emotional message in reaction to the news on Thursday.
Maddison said on social media: “Devastated doesn’t quite cut it. Trained well and worked hard all week but if I’m honest with myself, my form for Spurs when coming back from injury in the second half of the season probably wasn’t at the levels I had set which gave Gareth a decision to make.
“I still thought there would be a space for me in a 26 man squad as I feel I bring something different and had been a mainstay in this whole qualifying campaign for Euro 2024 in Germany but the manager has made the decision and I have to respect that.
“I’ll be back, I have no doubt. Wishing the boys all the luck in the world out in Germany, unbelievable group and lads that I literally call some of my best friends. I genuinely hope football comes home.”
The inclusions of Crystal Palace pairing Eze and Wharton, 25 and 20 years old respectively, show that the England boss has been keen to freshen up his side from previous tournaments such as the Qatar World Cup and Euro 2020.
England are one of the favourites to win the tournament this summer with stars such as Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham in red-hot form with Bayern Munich and Real Madrid respectively.
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