Who will Gareth Southgate cut from his England squad for Euro 2024?
England manager Gareth Southgate says he is “spinning plates” ahead of Friday’s deadline to name his final 26-man squad for Euro 2024.
As he looks to trim seven names from his training camp, City PM assesses who is likely to go Germany and who could miss out.
Goalkeepers
Southgate’s keeper at all three of his major tournaments, Jordan Pickford is the nailed-on No1, while Aaron Ramsdale and Dean Henderson look certain to be the inexperienced deputies in the absence of Nick Pope. That means no place for rookie James Trafford.
Defenders
John Stones is a cert at centre-back and regular partner Harry Maguire looks set to be included despite fitness concerns. Marc Guehi’s inclusion in Monday’s win over Bosnia makes him the likely deputy for Maguire, which leaves Ezri Konsa, Lewis Dunk, Jarrad Branthwaite and Joe Gomez fighting over one or two places. Uncapped Jarrell Quansah is the obvious odd man out.
Kyle Walker and Kieran Trippier have full-back slots in the bag while Luke Shaw, like Maguire, sounds likely to benefit from Euro 2024 squad limits being upped from 23 to 26. Konsa and Gomez can play across the back four and their versatility may help one or both sneak in.
Midfielders
Jude Bellingham, Declan Rice and Phil Foden would get into just about any team in the world, but the question of who joins them is more complicated. Conor Gallagher is a Southgate fave, while momentum is with Kobbie Mainoo and Trent Alexander-Arnold, who scored on Monday.
Newcomer Adam Wharton impressed enough on debut to be in the conversation, but Curtis Jones’s lack of involvement looks ominous for his hopes.
Attackers
Harry Kane and Bukayo Saka are England’s most reliable attacking weapons and therefore guaranteed starters at Euro 2024, while Ollie Watkins and Jarrod Bowen appear to be Southgate’s favoured replacements.
Who else goes is hard to predict and may depend on whether Foden is seen as a No10 or continues to be used off the wing. Jack Grealish, Cole Palmer and Eberechi Eze all enhanced their claims against Bosnia, which may spell bad news for James Maddison and Anthony Gordon. Like Quansah and Jones, Ivan Toney’s omission on Monday suggests he is not in England’s plans.
Who will make England’s Euro 2024 squad?
IN: Pickford, Henderson, Ramsdale, Stones, Maguire, Guehi, Walker, Trippier, Shaw, Bellingham, Rice, Foden, Gallagher, Mainoo, Alexander-Arnold, Kane, Saka, Watkins, Bowen.
MAYBE: Konsa, Dunk, Branthwaite, Gomez, Wharton, Grealish, Palmer, Eze, Maddison, Gordon.
OUT: Trafford, Qhansah, Jones, Toney.