Gareth Southgate has announced his final 26-man squad for the upcoming UEFA Euro 2024 and has decided to remove seven players from the preliminary squad that he had picked earlier last month. The England national team manager has dropped Jack Grealish, Harry Maguire, Jarrel Quansah, Curtis Jones, James Trafford, James Maddison and Jarrad Branthwaite.
Everyone was left surprised when the announcement came that Harry Maguire will not be part of the upcoming tournament. The Manchester United centre-back sustained an injury towards the end of the football season but it was hoped that he would be fit for the competition in Germany.
Harry Maguire has been solid at the back for both club and country and was supposed to be a starter for the team in the forthcoming tournament. His absence has surely given an opportunity to other defenders notably Joe Gomez and Marc Guehi to impress. There is also an outside option of playing Kyle Walker at the middle of the defence since he has experience of playing at that spot previously as well.
“I can’t help the team as a player” : Harry Maguire
Harry Maguire posted a statement on social media after being dropped from the squad for the UEFA Euro 2024. He said, “I am devastated not to have been selected to play for England at the Euros this summer. Despite my best efforts, I have not been able to overcome an injury to my calf. Maybe I pushed myself too hard, to try and make it. Simply, I am absolutely gutted”.
The former Leicester City manager added, “For me, representing England is the highest honour. It means everything to me. If I can’t help the team as a player, I will support them as a fan – along with the rest of the country. Go and win it boys. Next, I will return to the supervision of the #mufc medical team in order to prepare for next season.”