England manager Gareth Southgate on Tuesday named his pre-EURO 2024 provisional squad ahead of the finals in Germany next month. The Three Lions will play two friendlies against Bosnia and Herzegovina and Iceland on June 3 and June 7, respectively before the tournament.
Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford and Ajax midfielder Jordan Henderson were left out of the 33-man squad announced by Southgate.
Speaking on Rashford’s exclusion, the England manager said, “I just feel other players in that area of the pitch have had better seasons. That’s it.”
Regarding Henderson, he said, “The determining factor was the injury he picked up in the last camp. He’s missed five weeks and hasn’t been able to get to the intensity required.”
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Manchester United left-back Luke Shaw was included in the squad despite his lengthy injury spell. Southgate said that Shaw was his side’s first choice in the position and that is why he is willing to give the United man a bit longer. However, he added that Shaw’s inclusion in the final 26-man list for Euro 2024 remains a “long shot”.
Additionally, Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton, Liverpool duo Curtis Jones and Jarell Quansah received their first England call-up.
England is in Group C along with Serbia, Slovenia and Denmark. The Three Lions will begin their campaign on June 16 against Serbia in Gelsenkirchen.
Southgate’s England finished runner-up in the last edition, where it lost the final on penalties against Italy at Wembley.
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