MARCUS RASHFORD has been left out of the initial England squad for Euro 2024.
The Manchester United star is not in the provisional group of players named by Gareth Southgate.
Rashford, 26, has struggled this season on club level with only seven Premier League goals.
The forward has been a regular for England since 2016, having earned 60 caps and scoring 17 goals.
He was a member of the team for the 2018 and 2022 World Cup as well as the Euros in 2016 and 2020.
That included scoring three goals in Qatar as England reached the quarter-finals.
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However, Southgate took the strong and shock decision to overlook the attacker for the upcoming tournament in Germany.
Rashford took to his Instagram story 20 minutes after the 2pm announcement to give a response supporting his team-mates.
He shared the Three Lions’ squad announcement post and wrote: “Wishing Gareth and the boys all the best for the up and coming tournament.”
Rashford is not the only big name left out, though.
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Jordan Henderson, Ben Chilwell and Reece James will also be forced to watch the tournament from home.
Southgate said: “These are of course difficult calls. You’re talking about players who are important players.
“I feel with Marcus there are other players who have had better seasons.”
But there are a host of surprise inclusions.
Curtis Jones, James Trafford, Eberechi Eze, Adam Wharton, Marc Guehi, Jarell Quansah, Jarrad Branthwaite, Levi Colwill and Dean Henderson are all said to be part of the squad.
The manager picked a provisional 33-man squad ahead of the summer’s competition.
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Gareth Southgate has built a reputation in the Three Lions hot-seat by sticking to what he knows, and who he knows, in order to navigate major tournaments without any dramas.
Reliable, experienced faces with trust in the bank and little to no surprises on offer that have managed to reach finals and semi-finals in tournaments gone by.
But ahead of this summer’s Euros – a competition that England are expected to win and win well – Southgate appears to be throwing caution to the wind in a bid to excite and amaze.
Ben Chilwell, Jordan Henderson, Marcus Rashford and Raheem Sterling have all been left out of Southgate’s provisional 30-man squad – the latter three boarded the plane to Qatar in November 2022.
And in come the young guns – Crystal Palace duo Eberechi Eze and Adam Wharton, Liverpool’s Curtis Jones and Jarell Quansah, Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite and Burnley keeper James Trafford.
Is Southgate finally picking on current form and potential instead of past heroics? It looks that way.
The future is bright, and Southgate is ready to shake things up in order to reflect that.
That squad will be available for the two warm-up friendlies.
England take on Bosnia & Herzegovina at St James’ Park on June 3.
They then host Iceland at Wembley four days later.
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Southgate has to submit his final 26-man squad to Uefa by June 7, just nine days before the Three Lions’ opening Group C game against Serbia.
They also play Denmark and Slovenia.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
