England: Southgate reveals why he ‘couldn’t take’ Maguire to Euro 2024 as he explains Grealish snub
England boss Gareth Southgate has explained why he opted against including Jack Grealish and Harry Maguire in his final squad for Euro 2024.
Southgate had until 11pm on Friday to name his final 26-man England squad for Euro 2024 but his final squad was announced on Thursday afternoon.
“It was part of the reason why we couldn’t take Maguire…”
The Three Lions boss has had to leave seven players out, with Grealish, Maguire, James Maddison and Jarrad Branthwaite among his most notable omissions.
Explaining why he left out Grealish and Maddison, Southgate insisted that he “felt other players had stronger seasons”.
“All the players took the news really respectfully. Of course, all players will think they should be in and that’s why they are top players,” Southgate told reporters.
“They have that self-belief and mindset, but the fact is we have some players who have been playing extremely well in the league all season.
“We just felt other players had stronger seasons, particularly in the last six months or so.”
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Maguire has missed out as he has not played since April due to a calf injury and Southgate has confirmed that he wouldn’t have been available for the group stages.
“Trent can play in defence and I think we have nine defenders,” Southgate added.
“It was part of the reason why we couldn’t take Maguire, because that means we would have had to take a tenth and then the balance wouldn’t have been right.
“Harry has made some progress but it’s been complicated, we definitely wouldn’t have had him for the group stages.”
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Reacting to missing out on Euro 2024, Man Utd defender Maguire admitted he’s “devastated” after not being able to “overcome” his injury.
“I am devastated not to have been selected to play for England at the Euros this summer,” Maguire said.
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“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.
“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 Manchester United medical team in order to prepare for next season.”
