England have named a provisional squad of 33 players for EURO 2024 and there are some big-name omissions with both Jordan Henderson and Marcus Rashford left out.
Gareth Southgate has handed debut call-ups to Crystal Palace midfielder Adam Wharton and Liverpool center back Jarell Quansah who have been excellent in recent months, while uncapped Jarrad Branthwaite, James Trafford and Curtis Jones all look set to make a late push to make the final squad as England are among the favorites to win EURO 2024.
Big-name omissions make sense
Youngster Kobbie Mainoo is preferred ahead of Jordan Henderson in midfield, with Henderson’s omission perhaps the biggest surprise. But when you break it down it makes sense. The former Liverpool midfielder, 33, has long been England’s vice-captain but after leaving Liverpool for Saudi Arabia last summer and then quickly moving on to Ajax, Henderson has struggled for form and has dropped out of England’s squad.
Rashford has also been left out following his very disappointing season for Manchester United, as injuries have impacted the striker and he’s been severely lacking in confidence. There is also surprisingly no place for Jadon Sancho despite his good form for Borussia Dortmund since he joined on loan in January as he’s helped them reach the Champions League final. Eric Dier, who was excellent for Bayern Munich in their run to the Champions League semifinals, is also left out.
Defensively there are injury concerns over Manchester United duo Luke Shaw and Harry Maguire, while Man City’s John Stones has struggled through injuries this season. There is no place for Reece James or Ben Chilwell in the full back positions, while Kieran Trippier can fill both roles and Ezri Konsa and Joe Gomez can play at full back or center back as their versatility will be key.
Attacking options galore for Three Lions
Cole Palmer, Ivan Toney, Ollie Watkins, Anthony Gordon and Eberechi Eze are all included in the squad and will give Southgate a wealth of attacking options with Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden, Bukayo Saka and Jack Grealish his go-to guys in attacks.
Trent Alexander-Arnold is listed as a midfielder who indicates he could be used in a holding midfield role this summer alongside Declan Rice with Conor Gallagher also an option in the engine room behind Real Madrid superstar Jude Bellingham.
England play friendlies against Bosnia-Herzegovina and Iceland on June 3 and 7 respectively, as the squad will be cut down to 26 players by June 7.
That final list will be submitted for the tournament in Germany this summer. Below is the provisional squad in full.
England provisional squad for EURO 2024
Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton), Aaron Ramsdale (Arsenal), James Trafford (Burnley)
Defenders: Jarrad Branthwaite (Everton), Lewis Dunk (Brighton), Joe Gomez (Liverpool), Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Harry Maguire (Manchester United), Jarell Quansah (Liverpool), Luke Shaw (Manchester United), John Stones (Manchester City), Kieran Trippier (Newcastle), Kyle Walker (Manchester City)
Midfielders: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Conor Gallagher (Chelsea), Curtis Jones (Liverpool), Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United), Declan Rice (Arsenal), Adam Wharton (Crystal Palace)
Forwards: Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Jarrod Bowen (West Ham), Eberechi Eze (Crystal Palace), Phil Foden (Manchester City), Jack Grealish (Manchester City), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), James Maddison (Tottenham), Cole Palmer (Chelsea), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Ivan Toney (Brentford), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa)
