Gareth Southgate left a number of huge names at home when naming his preliminary Euro 2024 squad and it’s just got worse for one man in particular.
Southgate named a 33-man squad as England’s preparations begin against Bosnia & Herzegovina and Iceland before their first group game against Serbia on June 16.
The England boss will need to trim his squad by seven ahead of the June 8 deadline with youngsters Jarell Quansah and Adam Wharton among those most likely to miss out.
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Southgate raised eyebrows by leaving out a number of high-profile players including Raheem Sterling and most notably Marcus Rashford, with the Man Utd star suffering fresh embarrassment ahead of the tournament.
Rashford was pictured in an advertisement for Marks & Spencer showcasing the formalwear the England team will be donning off the field in Germany this summer despite being dropped from the squad.
Rashford was front and centre alongside Chelsea star Conor Gallagher and Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsdale but is the only one of the three who wasn’t selected for the tournament and won’t be seen with the squad in Germany.
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His inclusion in the marketing material suggests the decision to omit him from the squad was taken at the very last-minute.
Southgate claimed that other players in the squad had better seasons than the Manchester United man which lead to the decision to drop him.
"These are difficult calls - you are talking about players who are very good players who have been an important part of what we have done," Southgate said.
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"With Marcus [Rashford], I feel players in the same area of the pitch have had better seasons, it's as simple as that."
The forward reacted to the decision on Instagram writing: “Wishing Gareth and the boys all the best for the up and coming tournament.”
Rashford has the opportunity to end his season on a high with United facing rivals Manchester City in the FA Cup final on May 25.
Topics: England, Gareth Southgate, Euro 2024, Football, Premier League
Marcus Banks