Gareth Southgate says he is "excited" by the players he has picked after confirming his 26-man squad for Euro 2024. (More Football News)
It was announced earlier on Thursday that James Maddison, Curtis Jones and Harry Maguire ✤had alr༒eady been cut from the 33-man preliminary party.
It was later revealed that Jack Grealish, James Tr🌠afford, Jarell Quansah and Jarrad Branthwaite would also miss out on the tournament.
Despite leaving some big names out, and losing some tournament experience along with them, Southgate s🐲ays he is particularly looking forward to seeing the⛄ attacking threat his team possess.
"I'm excited," he said in a press conference on Thursday. "The other night [against Bosnia-Herzegovina], we had a lot of experienced attacking players not on the startin♏g grid. And we had a lot of goals in the team still.
"We saw ♏some fantastic performances the other night which underlined some of that and in the attacking area of the pitch we're blessed with a lot of options and they're all slightly diffe🐲rent.
"In terms of where we are, we're excited about what we have. There's always the unknown of that in a ꦇtournament, but there's a lot of experience of tournaments in the group, and of big matches with their clubs as well.
"It's impossible to say if it's the squad you wanted. It's the squad we'v🐼e picked that we feel is best equipped in this moꦯment in time.
"Sometimes you have to regenerate the group more than you're expecting, but that has 𝐆already brought a hunger and a competitiveness."
Maddison and Grealish were two of the big-name omissions, while Maguire confirmed i𒈔🍌n a statement that he would be missing out due to a calf problem that has kept him out since April.
Asked about the decision not to incℱlude t൩hem in the tournament, Southgate admitted it was tough, but he had to base it on recent form.
"🧸They've all been amazing with how they've dealt with it, but I know it's a diffic♏ult day for them and their team-mates," Southgate said.
"The fact is we've got some players who have been playing extremely well all season in the league, and we just feel other players have had stronger seasons - particularly in the past six m𝓡onths o♏r so.
"Madders [Maddison] and Jack [Grealish] would have provided ♈us with something different as well, and they've been tough calls. They're calls we've gone over and over and over as a group of staff to try to be fair and to try to use the right rat♕ionale.
"The decision on 🍌Harry [Maguire] is totally about his physical condition and his recovery from the injury. There is no other reason, as he is one of our strongest centre-backs."
Along with Maguire, Southgate left out two other centre-backs in Quansah, who will remain on standby with the squad for the Iceland game on♏ Friday, and Branthwaite, while the injured Luke Shaw remains as the only recognised left-back.
"🐈It's a bit early for Jarrad [Branthwaite]. He has had a fabulous season; it was good to get him on the pitch the other night," Southgate added.
"But of course, in an ideal world, you'd like💯 that balance of left-footers. For him to be in ꦯahead of the others, I don't think it would have been the right call at this stage.
"At left-back, that's why we've taken what I think is a ca❀lculated risk with Luke Shaw, one which I thi♑nk is worth taking."
Englandꦕ will play Iceland in their final friendly before beginning their Euro 2024 campaign against Serbia in Group C on June 16, before coming up against Denmark and Slovenia.
Final England squad: Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton), Aaron Ramsdale (Arsenal), Lewis Dunk (Brighton), Joe Gomez (Liverpool), Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Luke Shaw (Manchester United), John Stones (Manchester City), Kieran Trippier (Newcastle United), Kyle Walker (Manchester City), Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Conor Gallagher (Chelsea), Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United), Declan Rice (Arsenal), Adam Wharton (Crystal Palace), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Jarrod Bowen (West Ham), Eberechi Eze (Crystal Palace), Phil Foden (Manchester City), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle United), Karry Kane (Bayern Munich), Cole Palmer (Chelsea), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Ivan Toney (Brentfor🌜d), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa).
