Gareth Southgate named a 33-man provisional squad for England's upcoming 2024 UEFA European Championship campaign, and snubbed a number of high-profile players. Here are 10 stars who were overlooked!
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In what could be Southgate's final tournament in charge of the Three Lions, his preliminary selection perhaps shows he is willing to experiment with fresh faces and ideas in Germany. Four Crystal Palace players, for example, made his 33-man "training" squad, while there was no place for Manchester United's Marcus Rashford.
Capped 60 times for England, the 26-year-old had previously been called up to every tournament squad since Southgate's appointment in 2016 and was actually among the side's best performers at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Speaking in a press conference, however, Southgate acknowledged that Rashford's disappointing 2023/24 season with United saw him fall down the pecking order, but he wasn't the only big name left out.
His club colleague Mason Mount has been left at home after his injury-stricken first season at the Red Devils. The 25-year-old was previously one of the first names on Southgate's team sheet, but that already changed at the World Cup two years ago. The midfielder will need to wait a while longer before he adds to his 36 England caps.
Here are 10 players who were snubbed by Southgate for England's preliminary Euro squad:
For the first time in a decade, the Three Lions will be without experienced winger Raheem Sterling. The 29-year-old has not played for his national team since the World Cup in the Middle East, but has 82 caps to his name and was previously considered one of Southgate's "untouchables". The Chelsea star will be disappointed to miss out, along with his club teammates Levi Colwill, Ben Chilwell and Reece James.
Ex-Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson, meanwhile, was not named in England's provisional squad, with the 33-year-old also set to miss out on a tournament for the first time in 12 years. The midfielder currently plays for Ajax Amsterdam in the Netherlands after leaving Saudi Arabian club Al Ettifaq just half a season after his anticipated arrival. He will not be given an opportunity to add to his 80 England appearances, at least not in Germany.
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West Ham United's James Ward-Prowse, AC Milan's Fikayo Tomori and Bournemouth's Dominic Solanke also miss out. The latter has made only one appearance for the Three Lions, a cap that dates back to 2017, but his 21 goals in 42 matches this season for his club side saw him earn significant praise. He might also feel, considering the campaign he had, that he deserves to be in the group ahead of someone like Ivan Toney, who netted on only four occasions this term after returning from his gambling ban.
