Gary Neville has revealed that he was stunned by one absence from Gareth Southgate’s England selection for the 2024 European Championships this summer.
Gareth Southgate revealed his England squad, but Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, and Raheem Sterling were unexpectedly left out. Southgate’s provisional 30-man team includes James Trafford, Jarell Quansah, Anthony Gordon, and Kobbie Mainoo, who will subsequently be reduced to 26.
This has to be the tournament that England wins, and with the quality of the squad at Southgate’s disposal, they must be considered the favourites along with Portugal and France.
England’s team is quite young, and there may be a troubling lack of leaders within the roster. Former Manchester United right-back Gary Neville has identified one omission that he believes could be a mistake.
Neville questions an omission.
Jordan Henderson and Kalvin Phillips were crucial midfield players for England at Euro 2021, but neither made this summer’s team, and Neville has questioned the decision to leave the former Liverpool midfielder out in particular.
“Why did that happen?” When news of Henderson’s absence from England’s current team came, Neville told The Overlap that he didn’t expect it.
“I didn’t expect him to start in the Euros, but he was a key member of the team in Qatar. I expected him to be in there because he is a terrific player to have on the team and can perform the job.
“That has completely taken my breath away. They are rather short in the midfield position. It does seem strange to me. Given the personnel, Gareth Southgate will very certainly be compelled to deploy a very offensive midfield. I assumed he’d go with the seasoned player who can control things.”
Henderson has had a disappointing season since leaving Anfield, and his decision to leave Liverpool has raised questions.
After a dismal term at Saudi Pro League team Al-Ettifaq, Henderson moved to Dutch giants Ajax, but his time in the Netherlands has not gone well.
If he had stayed at Liverpool, even as a fringe player, he would very certainly have made the squad.
Henderson omission
There were many contentious decisions surrounding Southgate’s team, but leaving out Henderson, who has had a bad season, was the correct call.
Promoting Crystal Palace midfielder Adam Wharton as well as United midfielder Mainoo will undoubtedly make England’s midfield more lively, and these alternatives will be critical for England in the summer.
The expertise of Jordan Pickford, Harry Maguire, and Harry Kane may be required to pull England through, given this is a relatively inexperienced side on the international arena.
