Gareth Southgate has announced his final England Euro 2024 squad after cutting seven players from the initial 33-man preliminary squad. James Maddison confirmed earlier in the day that he had left the training camp after missing out on the final squad and he has since been joined by six other players.
Curtis Jones, Jarell Quansah, Harry Maguire, Jack Grealish, Jarrad Branthwaite and James Trafford have all missed out on the final squad for the European Championship with England now set to tackle their final friendly before the tournament with the 26 players selected to travel to Germany.
They will then face Serbia in their first match at Euro 2024 on Sunday, 16 June in Gelsenkirchen. It remains to be seen whether Luke Shaw, who has been included as the only recognised left-back, will be fit enough to play any part in that match or in any of the group-stage fixtures.
Final England Euro 2024 squad – The full list
Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton), Aaron Ramsdale (Arsenal)
Defenders: Lewis Dunk (Brighton), Joe Gomez (Liverpool), Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Kyle Walker (Man City), Luke Shaw (Man Utd), John Stones (Man City), Kieran Trippier (Newcastle)
Midfielders: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Adam Wharton (Crystal Palace), Conor Gallagher (Chelsea), Kobbie Mainoo (Man Utd), Declan Rice (Arsenal)
Forwards: Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Jarrod Bowen (West Ham), Eberechi Eze (Crystal Palace), Phil Foden (Man City), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa), Cole Palmer (Chelsea), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Ivan Toney (Brentford)
England fans react to final Euro 2024 squad
The final England Euro 2024 squad was never going to please everyone, despite Southgate largely doing what many supporters have asked him to do for years – pick players on form rather than reputation.
Marcus Rashford, who has been a regular for England during Southgate's reign, didn't even make it into the preliminary squad after a poor season for Manchester United while Jack Grealish and James Maddison have been dropped after poor form during the second half of the season.
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. I still thought… pic.twitter.com/LwhIhCPDxS
— James Maddison (@Madders10) June 6, 2024
Branthwaite out
However, large parts of the England fanbase are still dissatisfied with some of Southgate's choices. The decision to send Jarrod Branthwaite home has left most fans disgruntled.
One England fan took to social media to say: “Dunk over Branthwaite is genuinely insane, Branthwaite will literally be the first name on the team sheet for the next decade and this would be the perfect opportunity to give him tournament experience.”
Another posted: “Gareth Southgate cutting the only other left-footed defender from his squad is peak Gareth Southgate. Jarrad Branthwaite had a better season than every single centre-back in the England squad. Baffling decision.”
Bowen in
The selection of Jarrod Bowen has also raised eyebrows with many people feeling Jack Grealish should have stayed in the squad instead.
One person posted on X: “jack Grealish didn't deserve to go to Germany based on his form this season, but his profile is unlike any other in the squad. As dazzling as Eze, Gordon and Bowen are, they're game-changers, not game-winners. Slender lead with 20 to play in a KO game, it's Grealish you want.”
Another added: “I know he hasn’t had the best season but having Bowen over Grealish is a crime! Insane decision, that.”