Harry Maguire admitted he was “devastated” after the Manchester United defender and Tottenham playmaker James Maddison were left out of England’s squad for Euro 2024.
Manchester City winger Jack Grealish and Liverpool’s uncapped defender Jarell Quansah were also reported to have been told they will not make the squad.
Maguire, Maddison and Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones were part of Gareth Southgate’s 33-man provisional squad, but all three have been informed they will not make the final cut for the 26-man squad.
Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite and Burnley goalkeeper James Trafford are believed to be the other players set to be axed.
Southgate had been due to name his official squad by Friday’s deadline, just after England play Finland at Wembley in their last warm-up ahead of the tournament.
But the players to miss out on a place in his squad were quick to confirm their omissions as the Football Association revealed the squad would now be confirmed at 1630 GMT on Thursday.
Maguire has been a mainstay of Southgate’s defence throughout his reign as coach, but the centre-back was axed after failing to recover from a calf injury.
The 31-year-old was unable to prove his fitness by playing in United’s FA Cup final win against Manchester City in May after spending several weeks on the sidelines.
Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi has been the first back-up centre-half behind Maguire and Manchester City’s John Stones, with Brighton’s Lewis Dunk and Aston Villa’s Ezri Konsa also in the provisional squad.
“I am devastated not to have been selected to play for England at the Euros this summer,” Maguire said on Instagram.
“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.”
– ‘Devastated doesn’t cut it’ –
Maddison, 27, was introduced as a 61st-minute substitute in Monday’s 3-0 friendly win against Bosnia and Herzegovina at St James’ Park.
But Maddison, whose form tailed off for Tottenham following a strong start to the Premier League season, is among seven players who will not be on the plane to Germany.
Maddison, who went to the 2022 World Cup with England, has won seven caps but faced stiff competition in his position with the likes of Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden, Cole Palmer and Bukayo Saka.
“Devastated doesn’t quite cut it. Trained well and worked hard all week but if I’m honest with myself, my form for Spurs when coming back from injury in the second half of the season probably wasn’t at the levels I had set which gave Gareth a decision to make,” Maddison wrote on social media.
“I still thought there would be a space for me in a 26-man squad as I feel I bring something different and had been a mainstay in this whole qualifying campaign for Euro 2024 in Germany but the manager has made the decision and I have to respect that.”
Grealish, 28, was left out of several key games by City boss Pep Guardiola during his club’s push to win the Premier League title and also started the FA Cup final on the bench.
Grealish did feature for England as a substitute in their 3-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina on Monday.
Meanwhile, Manchester United defender Luke Shaw has returned to training after a lengthy muscle injury, boosting his hopes of making the England squad.
The 28-year-old left-back, who scored against Italy in the Euro 2020 final defeat, has not played since February and made just 15 appearances for United in all competitions last season.
England, chasing a first major trophy for 58 years, start their Euro campaign against Serbia on June 16 before facing Denmark and Slovenia in their other Group C fixtures.
