So, Gareth Southgate has done it. The England manager has made the necessary cuts and whittled his original 33-player preliminary Euro 2024 squad down to the final 26.
One goalkeeper, three defenders, one midfielder and two forwards have been let go and will not be on the plane to Germany for the tournament that begins on 14 June.
Southgate saw his team win 3-0 over Bosnia & Herzegovina in a warm-up friendly on Monday and made his decisions well ahead of UEFA’s deadline. The final farewell against Iceland at Wembley on Friday will now be played with the 26-strong group will be going to the Euros.
90min assesses whether those missed out deserved their fate…
Playing in League One as recently as last season and with just one campaign of Premier League football under his belt, James Trafford’s inclusion in the preliminary group came as a surprise and was perhaps indicative of the lack of depth in the goalkeeping position.
The 21-year-old will be well served by the experience of being part of the England setup, but was always the likely contender to be cut from the original four goalkeepers selected.
Right decision? Yes. ✅
It’s not really up for debate that Harry Maguire would have been going to Euro 2024 but for injury, having been a key starter for Southgate at three successive tournaments since 2018 and playing some of the best football of his career in an England shirt.
But a calf problem and the battle to be fit in time to play a meaningful part in Germany, rather than being a wasted jersey on the periphery, was too much. Maguire hasn’t played at all since 27 April, missing the last month of the club season with Manchester United, so when he still wasn’t able to train properly by the time the final squad decision needed to be made, it was too late.
Right decision? Yes. ✅
Even though he didn’t make it this time, what’s almost certain is Jarrad Branthwaite being a cornerstone of England squads in the future. This occasion was perhaps just too soon for the Everton centre-back, having only made his debut against Bosnia last week.
That being said, the obvious quality that he possesses, even at just 21, made his exclusion from the final squad slightly surprising. One can only assume that Southgate values the greater versatility offered…
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