James Maddison has been left out of England’s 26-man Euro 2024 squad and left the Three Lions camp.
The Tottenham midfielder is the first name in Gareth Southgate’s provisional 33-man squad to miss out on the final selection for the tournament in Germany.
Southgate is due to trim his extended squad to 26 names on Friday at 11pm – an hour after England’s final Euro 2024 warm-up friendly against Iceland at Wembley.
England will then begin their Euro 2024 campaign on June 16 against Serbia.
Maddison’s wait for a major tournament appearance with England continues, after making the final 26 squad for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar – but he failed to make an appearance before the exit of the Three Lions in the quarter-final.
Analysis: Maddison’s departure to England is no surprise
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After England’s 3-0 victory over Bosnia-Herzegovina, Gareth Southgate said he was looking for “balance” in his final Euro squad.
Sam Blitz from Sky Sports:
Three goals and five assists in his first nine Premier League matches for Tottenham, James Maddison was on course to become player of the season, not to mention a place in the England squad for the Euros.
He was a favorite nine months ago. But he is now the first to be eliminated from this enlarged English group. Even uncapped Curtis Jones and Jarell Quansah have progressed in Southgate’s spirit.
Should Maddison be surprised? Honestly, no. His form has dropped off since that scintillating start for Spurs this season. The only goals he has scored in the Premier League since March 10 came against Burnley and Sheffield United, while he was unable to even start in a makeshift England lineup against Bosnia. Herzegovina.
Maddison will cite a three-month injury midway through the season as the moment that halted his progress, his form has not recovered since. But there is a growing trend in Maddison’s season. Over the last five campaigns, he started them strong and then slowed them down. This is not ideal for a player hoping to compete in their country’s summer tournaments.
Perhaps Eberechi Eze and Cole Palmer’s performances against Bosnia influenced Southgate’s thinking. Both players – who are attacking and midfield hybrids – impressed in the friendly and may have overtaken Maddison in the pecking order.
And with Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden plus world-class options, it means the player so many were clamoring to make the 2022 World Cup squad – and snuck in at the last minute – is the first to be excluded from this Euro. team.
What is England’s current 32-man training squad?
Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford (Everton), Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), 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 (Man Utd ), John Stones (Manchester City), Kieran Trippier (Newcastle), Kyle Walker (Manchester City).
Midfielder : Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Conor Gallagher (Chelsea), Curtis Jones (Liverpool), Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United), Declan Rice (Arsenal), Adam Wharton (Crystal Palace).
Advantages: 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), Cole Palmer (Chelsea), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Ivan Toney (Brentford), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa).
