England Euro 2024 snubbed XI: White, Grealish and Henderson in team of stars rejected by Southgate
With Gareth Southgate seemingly becoming increasingly cut-throat, here’s an XI of England stars missing Euro 2024 after being snubbed by the manager…
England Euro 2024 snubbed XI…
GK: Jack Butland (Rangers)
“I’ve watched Jack Butland several times playing for Rangers this season and he is the best English goalkeeper around. I’m surprised he hasn’t earned a place.”
Graeme Souness has done Everton’s Jordan Pickford a disservice with these comments, but a resurgent Butland is right to feel hard done to after not even making it into Southgate’s provisional 33-man squad. When the dropped and relegated Burnley keeper gets a call…
RB: Ben White (Arsenal)
Kyle Walker’s worrying performance against Iceland (especially his role in the winning goal) added to the clamour for assistant Steve Holland to swallow his pride and apologise to White.
Remember when the Three Lions were spoiled at right-back with several top-quality options at Southgate’s disposal? But injuries, off-field conflicts and father time perhaps catching up on Walker have contributed to this department starting to become a problem position.
Had it not been for White’s beef with Holland, the Arsenal full-back would have been a sure-fire selection for Southgate. However, the 26-year-old may need to wait for the ‘biggest threat’ to Manchester United head coach Erik ten Hag to give up his role as England boss to make a return.
CB: Harry Maguire (Manchester United)
Southgate has previously had his critics for being too loyal to certain players who were not performing domestically. But the manager’s go-to stalwarts often repay the faith and there’s perhaps no better example than former Man Utd captain Maguire.
The centre-back has endured a rollercoaster couple of seasons at Man Utd as his form severely declined at times, but he has never let England down as his partnership with Manchester City’s John Stones has been a hallmark of Southgate’s time as manager.
But Maguire’s injury woes have forced Southgate to move past this trusted partnership, with the defender’s inactivity since April (and potential unavailability during the group stages) seeing the United star miss out on Euro 2024. He has *obviously* since ‘pointed the blame’.
CB: Jarrad Branthwaite (Everton)
A few contentious decisions often come with a manager selecting his/her squad for a major tournament. The media and its toxicity have been on Southgate’s back more than most of his predecessors, but it’s hard to argue with the majority of his calls for Euro 2024.
Southgate has grown out of being overly loyal to certain players, with Crystal Palace’s stand-outs perhaps the biggest beneficiaries of an increased focus on form.
But saying that, Branthwaite (especially being more valuable as a left-sided centre-back) is unlucky to be among the Unfortunate Seven cut from Southgate’s initial 33-man squad for Euro 2024. The England boss’ selection of Lewis Dunk over the Everton man shows he’s not fully past his safety-first thinking.
LB: Ben Chilwell (Chelsea)
Going forward, England are in a healthy state with an abundance of quality options. But the same cannot be said in defence and left-back is certainly an issue.
Kieran Trippier has proved he can do a job as a stand-in left-back, but England’s chances at Euro 2024 are arguably dependent on the fitness and form of Man Utd’s Luke Shaw, who has bucked the trend set by most Three Lions stars by stepping up his performances when on international duty.
Southgate’s headache would certainly have eased if he had a fit and firing Chilwell to call upon to compete with Shaw. But like Maguire, he did not prove his fitness soon enough to earn a place at Euro 2024.
MORE ON ENGLAND AND EURO 2024 FROM F365…
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👉 Grealish and Maddison next? Eight England players who recovered after pre-tournament axe
CM: Jordan Henderson (Ajax)
It’s been a nightmare 12 months for Henderson following his ill-informed decision to leave Liverpool for the Saudi Pro League.
His short but dire stint in the Middle East (and subsequent injury-disrupted spell at Ajax) have contributed to the 33-year-old being left behind this season. He’ll likely follow eight former England players who disappeared after a pre-tournament axe.
CM: Curtis Jones (Liverpool)
The Liverpool academy product was deservedly given a battering on this site for being a bit rubbish during the run-in. A couple of disastrous results saw Jones and his fellow teammates swiftly throw away their involvement in the Premier League title race to put a dampener on Jurgen Klopp’s farewell season.
RW: Harvey Elliott (Liverpool)
Klopp admitted his misuse of Elliott is one regret he had about his final season at Liverpool. Whenever he was called upon, the U21 European Championship winner consistently caught the eye with his work rate and positional intelligence.
Elliott will likely have to rely on Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka suffering an injury to get a sniff at the England starting XI, but he heads into the Arne Slot era far closer to the senior squad than he was at the start of this season.
📣TO THE COMMENTS! How far will England go at Euro 2024? Join the debate here
CAM: James Maddison (Tottenham Hotspur)
The Spurs midfielder emerged as a Premier League signing-of-the-season contender as he slotted in seamlessly after joining the north London club from PSR-impacted Leicester City last summer.
But a mid-season injury took away his momentum and the talented midfielder did not hit those same highs during the run-in.
Playing in a position where England are very well-stocked, Maddison didn’t do enough to sneak into Southgate’s 26-man squad.
LW: Jack Grealish (Manchester City)
Grealish’s form during his second season at Man City was sensational, but his performances during his book-ending two years at the Etihad have left much to be desired, with injuries and the arrival of Jeremy Doku hampering him this season.
But you still have to be a bloody good footballer to be a back-up for Pep Guardiola and Grealish certainly is that. The form of Eberechi Eze and Anthony Gordon has scuppered the omitted Man City star, but the 28-year-old’s class may be missed and England’s players are ‘angry’ that he is not heading to Germany.
ST: Dominic Solanke (AFC Bournemouth)
Harry Kane is comfortably out in front as England’s best striker, but there is very little separating the forwards behind the Bayern Munich goal machine in the pecking order.
Ollie Watkins’ stunning season for Aston Villa warrants his place, but Ivan Toney’s underwhelming post-betting ban performances mean he’s a tad fortunate to make the squad ahead of Solanke after his 19-goal season for Bournemouth.
Yet with several elite European clubs in the market for a new striker, a Michael Edwards transfer masterstroke will earn Liverpool a few pound notes if Solanke gets a big move this summer.
