The time has finally come for one of EURO’s biggest favourites to release a 33-man long list for the upcoming European championship. All eyes were on Gareth Southgate, who announced his squad for Germany, and debates have already begun upon looking at the list. Among the ‘big’ names, there was no place for Marcus Rashford, the star of Manchester United, veteran and vice-captain Jordan Henderson from Ajax, or Raheem Sterling from Chelsea. However, the latter has not been called up since Qatar, so his absence is not particularly surprising. Gareth Southgate will have to trim the current extended squad by midnight on June 7, seven days before the start of the tournament. Until then, the Three Lions will play two more preparatory matches. The first match is against Bosnia and Herzegovina on June 3 at St. James’ Park, and the second is four days later against Iceland at Wembley.Confirming the #ThreeLions’ pre-#EURO2024 training squad! 🏴— England (@England) May 21, 2024 There’s no need to elaborate much on England’s motivation for this tournament. At the World Cup in Qatar, they were stopped in the quarterfinals by France; a year earlier, they lost the European Championship final to Italy on penalties. For several years now, they have been considered one of the best national teams in the world, with a truly deep squad, experienced class players, and some of the most talented young players. Many believe that the time has finally come for them to climb to the top of Europe, where they have never been before. Their greatest achievements at the European Championships so far are the final two years ago and two third-place finishes (in 1968 and 1996). Expectations are high, and all eyes will be on their performances, starting with the match against Serbia. The competition in Group C begins on June 16, and Slovenia and Denmark will meet at MHPArena Stadium in Stuttgart, while at 9 PM in Gelsenkirchen, England and Serbia will face off.##NAJAVA_MECA_8117669##Squad:Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford (Everton), Aaron Ramsdale (Arsenal), Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), James Trafford (Burnley)Defenders: Kyle Walker, John Stones (both Manchester City), Luke Shaw, Harry Maguire (both Manchester United), Jarrad Branthwaite (Everton), Jarell Quansah, Joe Gomez (both Liverpool), Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace), Kieran Trippier (Newcastle), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Lewis Dunk (Brighton)Midfielders: Declan Rice (Arsenal), Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United), Adam Wharton (Crystal Palace), Conor Gallagher (Chelsea), Trent Alexander-Arnold, Curtis Jones (both Liverpool)Forwards: Harry Kane (Bayern Munich/GER), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa), Ivan Toney (Brentford), Jarrod Bowen (West Ham), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle), Cole Palmer (Chelsea), James Maddison (Tottenham), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid/ESP), Phil Foden, Jack Grealish (both Manchester City), Eberechi Eze (Crystal Palace)
