Gareth Southgate acknowledged that trimming his England squad for Euro 2024 to a final 26 was one of his most difficult days in the job but was adamant that it was the right decision to do so before Friday’s warm-up game against Iceland.
Jack Grealish and Harry Maguire were the headline omissions, while James Maddison, Curtis Jones, James Trafford, Jarell Quansah and Jarrad Branthwaite were also told they had not made the final cut.
With Jordan Henderson, Marcus Rashford and Raheem Sterling also missing out, England’s squad has an unmistakably new look to it as they prepare to fly out to Germany for their opener against Serbia in Gelsenkirchen on 16 June.
“Well, it certainly isn’t easy [making the decision],” he said. “I think you put yourself in the shoes of a player. You put yourself in the shoes of a parent. You understand that for these players this is a devastating moment. It can be career-changing for those who are going.
“So you give the decision-making process all the attention it deserves and then you try and deliver it as humanely as possible. Then you have to accept the person receiving could take it in any number of ways. I have to say all of them were really respectful.”
Southgate revealed that the players cut from the squad received the news at different times with Maddison informed on Wednesday night and Grealish told on Thursday morning due to concerns over the fitness of other squad members.
Grealish struggled for game time at Manchester City this season, making only 10 Premier League starts as Pep Guardiola’s side secured their fourth title in a row. The winger has been accused of lacking focus, but Southgate refused to discuss whether his personal life had any bearing on the decision.
“I don’t think today would be a good day to talk about the bigger picture,” he insisted.
“I don’t think that would be fair. I have just delivered a really difficult conversation to a lad who is devastated.
“I think the world of him as a kid. Yes. I am not going to go any broader than that.”
Southgate also confirmed that Maguire had been left out due to injury, revealing that the Manchester United centre-back would not have been fit enough to feature at the tournament until the knockout stage at least.
Maguire has been a mainstay of the Southgate era, featuring in 17 of England’s 19 tournament matches during his tenure, but Southgate insisted that including him would have been too much of a gamble.
“He has had a couple of setbacks already so the best case scenario was after the third group game and everything has to go perfectly,” he said.
“Then add into that [Kieran] Trippier has not had 90 minutes yet, [Luke] Shaw is still a gamble, okay he is going well but he has not played for some months. So that would have meant an additional defender as well as Maguire.
“We end up with 10 [defenders] and we are shortchanging ourselves elsewhere for a player who is at higher risk of not getting there anyway and by the time he is fit he is out for seven weeks. There is all that dynamic to it. Yeah, it is a tough call but I think he knows in the last week he hasn’t been able to progress as much as we would have liked.”
Maguire’s absence leaves an inexperienced backline, John Stones aside. Joe Gomez is England’s next most-capped centre-back but his 14 caps have been scattered across seven years.
“I think all the centre-backs in the squad are ready. They’ve all had experience with us,” Southgate insisted.
“We’ll miss Harry’s aerial presence there’s no doubt about that but there’s more speed in those guys so everybody has different attributes.”
That 12 of the 26 players picked will experience a major tournament for the first time provides evidence of England’s evolution.
So too does the fact that at just 25, Declan Rice is the fifth-most capped player in the squad. The Arsenal midfielder will be tasked with helping newcomers Kobbie Mainoo and Adam Wharton through the competition and admitted he is relishing the responsibility.
“When I saw the squad earlier, I saw that I was the oldest midfielder and I didn’t really know how to take it, to be honest!” Rice said.
“Obviously, it’s a midfield packed with excitement, full of energy and five or six players who are ready to go there and give it everything.
“I feel like now I’ve gained so much experience over the last two years that I can kind of guide the younger players in a way.”
On Crystal Palace’s Wharton, who only made his Premier League debut in February, he added: “I can’t give him enough credit for what he’s done. To come here and to step up and play the way he has and train the way he has is a massive credit to himself.”
As Grealish and Maddison’s omissions indicate, England have no shortage of attacking talent to call upon, and Rice namechecked Phil Foden as the player who has caught his eye the most.
“He turned up three days ago and he’s been out of this world in training,” Rice said. “Everyone has been talking about him: ‘Have you seen Phil in training?’ He’s that good. So, so special.”
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