- Gareth Southgate has discussed the reasoning behind England’s Euro 2024 squad
- Jack Grealish and James Maddison were both left out ahead of the tournament
- click here to follow the Mail Sport Euro 2024 WhatsApp channel for all the latest news and updates from Germany
Gareth Southgate has described the last 24 hours as one of the toughest of his England reign as he ruthlessly axed seven players from his Euro 2024 plans.
Jack Grealish, Harry Maguire and James Maddison were the three main casualties of Southgate’s original 33-man squad, while Curtis Jones, Jarrad Branthwaite, James Trafford and Jarrell Quansah were also told they would not be heading to Germany this summer.
“It’s one of the hardest parts of the job,” Southgate admitted. “We have tried to do it as respectfully and with as much humanity as possible, but I also know that this is a devastating blow for the players who do not come with us.
‘They’ve all been great in the way they’ve dealt with it, but I know it’s a tough day for them and their teammates because they’re really excited to go – and they should be, they’ve done incredibly well in many cases to push some experienced players out of the squad.
“But we have to balance that excitement and a little bit of regret for a difficult day.”
Gareth Southgate has discussed his reasoning behind the notable omissions from his Euro squad
James Maddison and Jack Grealish have both been left out of the final 26-man England squad
Southgate insisted he took players’ recent form into account when deciding who to remove from his squad
Speaking specifically about Grealish and Maddison’s omissions, Southgate said: ‘They have been tough calls that we as a group of employees have repeated over and over again to try to be fair, to get the right rationale.
‘And we stand by our decisions, but recognize that we could have taken a different path. Both guys are great characters, great teammates, great guys to work with. So yeah, it’s sad to have to tell them that news.”
Maguire, as revealed by Mail Sport on Thursday afternoon, had struggled to maintain his fitness following a calf injury, which brought at least two setbacks.
“Harry has made some progress but it has been complicated,” Southgate added.
Southgate also described the ‘difficult’ decision to leave Harry Maguire out due to his injury
‘We certainly wouldn’t have had him in the group stages and there were too many hurdles to get through without really being clear about where we could get.
“Since we don’t have good health for the rest of the backline either, we need cover, players who are fit and ready to play from the start. Another tough call.
‘You know how I feel about Harry Maguire and what he has done for England, what he has done for me as a manager.
‘That is a slightly different case than the other two, but not any easier.’