BEVERLY HILLS, May 25, (THEWILL) – The provisional squad sheet for the team that will represent England in the upcoming Euro 2020 has been named ahead of the June 11 kickoff of the continental tournament, which was postponed from last year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Three Lions manager Gareth Southgate checked all the boxes in his selection of the crop of the best individuals of English origin including forwards such as Harry Kane, Marcus Rashford and Raheem Sterling. Then, there were some good surprises like the return of Trent Alexander-Arnold to the lineup, a nod to his return to form.
Although the list is subject to change, which is why it is provisional and includes 33 players, it was still another fair bit of a surprise to see listed the injured pair of Manchester United’s Harry Maguire and Liverpool’s Jordan Henderson in the England squad for the competition.
There were some interesting debates after Southgate left out Alexander-Arnold of England’s squad for the March international matches but England won their world cup qualifiers convincingly to justify the manager’s decisions. However, the Liverpool full-back makes his return to the squad this time.
Interestingly enough, Alexander-Arnold team-mate Henderson, who has not featured for Liverpool since sustaining an injury in the Merseyside derby in February and Manchester United captain Maguire, who is currently struggling with an ankle ligament problem and has not played since he limped off before the final whistle against Aston Villa on May 9, were listed.
Headlining the category of notable omissions is Leicester City’s striker Jamie Vardy, who is in the company of forward Danny Ings, Eric Dier, once a regular under Southgate, and Micheal Keane, all of whom failed to make the cut.
As Southgate will slim down the list from 33 to 26 before midnight on June 1, after assessing the players in training and after the friendlies against Austria and Romania on June 2 and June 6 respectively, it is clear that come players will still be left behind but, questions remain as to the names that made it to the list and those that did not.
The Vardy case is a point in question. The answer might not be far-fetched as the Leicester forward has been semi-retired from international football for the last few years. Though Vardy made the 23-man squad for the 2018 World Cup when England managed to reach the semi-finals for the first time in a generation, he was almost anonymous in the following World Cup in Russia.
Vardy must have reached his decision during the games but bided his time to approach Southgate after the Russia world cup, with the intentions of telling Southgate never again did he want to be considered for selection unless England were facing a significant injury crisis.
In keeping with the English striker’s wishes, Southgate has refrained from having his name included. It does not mean he can never be brought in. Vardy himself explained it thusly: “Gareth said that he felt I still had a lot to offer, and we’ve not shut the door completely. If the worst came to happen and everyone was injured, then obviously I wouldn’t say no.”
The 34-year-old Vardy has an good scoring record for England. He debuted under Roy Hodgson in January 2015 and in 26 appearances, he found the back of the net seven times in the Three Lions shirt. Out of the seven, he scored five in 10 matches at his England career peak of 2016, especially at the year’s Euro.
Although not as prolific as he was when he helped Leicester in their incredible run to the Premiership title in the 2015/2016 campaign, Vardy has been a shining light for Brendan Rodgers’s side in the Premier League and in cup competitions this year, helping to secure European football for the second year running.
His 13 goals in the Premier League and linking up play with the season’s sensational Kelechi Iheanacho, were instrumental to the club’s run. They won their first ever FA Cup by defeating the defensively strong Chelsea with Vardy as the first player to ever play in every round of the competition, including the preliminary stages.
But, he will not be in the lineup for England when they start their Euros campaign at Wembley on June 13, taking on Croatia. They then contend against Scotland in their Group D fixtures, before the Three Lions face the Czech Republic on June 22.
The full provisional list includes:
Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson (Manchester United), Sam Johnstone (West Bromwich Albion), Jordan Pickford (Everton), Aaron Ramsdale (Sheffield United).
Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Ben Chilwell (Chelsea), Conor Coady (Wolves), Ben Godfrey (Everton), Reece James (Chelsea), Harry Maguire (Manchester United), Tyrone Mings (Aston Villa), Luke Shaw (Manchester United), John Stones (Manchester City), Kieran Trippier (Atletico Madrid), Kyle Walker (Manchester City), Ben White (Brighton & Hove Albion).
Midfielders: Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Jesse Lingard (Manchester United), Mason Mount (Chelsea), Kalvin Phillips (Leeds), Declan Rice (West Ham), James Ward-Prowse (Southampton).
Forwards: Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Everton), Phil Foden (Manchester City), Jack Grealish (Aston Villa), Mason Greenwood (Manchester United), Harry Kane (Tottenham), Marcus Rashford (Manchester United), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Jadon Sancho (Borussia Dortmund), Raheem Sterling (Manchester City), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa).
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
