da brdice： The Three Lions boss continues to play favourites with his selections, meaning some high-profile players likely won't be on the plane to Germany
da bet nacional： Aside from France, no team will be able to rival England for strength in depth at Euro 2024 this summer. There are a few holes in the squad here and there, midfield most notably, but in some positions Gareth Southgate has two, or even three, world-class options to choose from.
This can be a double-edged sword. While the current generation of England players is the most talented since David Beckham, Wayne Rooney and Co, some high-profile stars are guaranteed to miss out each time Southgate makes his selection.
The most recent squad was no exception. Even with a host of regulars being ruled out with injury, some onlookers were still unhappy to see their favourites miss out on games against North Macedonia and Malta.
With time running out until Euro 2024 kicks off, these debates are only going to rumble on over the coming weeks and months. Below, GOAL has taken a look at which players should be worried about their prospects of boarding the plane to Germany. In the end, there was so many, we even managed to fashion them into a makeshift XI…
Getty ImagesGK: Nick Pope (Newcastle)
Southgate's recent treatment of Pope has been a little strange to say the least. One would have thought that moving to Newcastle and playing in the Champions League would have only strengthened his position as one of Jordan Pickford's deputies.
However, Pope has now not received a call-up since last March – even with Aaron Ramsdale warming the bench at Arsenal over the past few months. His other rival, Crystal Palace's Sam Johnstone, may be featuring regularly for the Eagles, but he's hardly having a standout season, making Pope's omission all the more baffling.
Regardless, it's looking less and less likely that he'll be on the plane to Germany this summer.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesRB: Reece James (Chelsea)
In terms of all-round ability, James is probably the best right-back Southgate has at his disposal. But that's not the whole story here. The Chelsea captain seemingly irritated his international manager by ruling himself out of the latest squad for fitness reasons.
"There is (a lot of talent ahead of James) and that's the risk. He's only got one more squad before the Euros. So he knows that. We've got belief in what he can do," Southgate said.
With competition for places so fierce at right-back, it's not something James will have wanted to hear, even if he was outstanding in Chelsea's 4-4 draw with Manchester City on Sunday.
GettyCB: Ben White (Arsenal)
"I assume so," Southgate said, when asked whether White was fit for his most-recent squad. That he seemingly had not even considered calling up the Arsenal star is telling of how unlikely he is to make the cut this summer.
"Ben’s been very solid for Arsenal. He is a different profile of full-back. He’s more of a centre-back playing at full-back really. And he’s obviously doing a good job for his club, he’s just behind a couple of others in our reckoning," Southgate stated.
Publicly, Southgate has insisted that there has not been a falling out between the pair after White exited the 2022 World Cup due to "personal reasons". But as long as he continues to perform for the Gunners and remains out of the international set-up, those rumours aren't going to subside.
Getty ImagesCB: Fikayo Tomori (AC Milan)
After years of neglect, Tomori has increasingly earned Southgate's trust over the past few international windows. But with the England manager's Harry Maguire obsession showing no signs of abating and John Stones a certain starter, it seems unlikely he'll break into the starting XI permanently.
In fact, he might even be squeezed out of the squad entirely depending on how the next few months play out. Ezri Konsa, Levi Colwill, Lewis Dunk and Marc Guehi are just some of the other contenders for the centre-back spots, and history might suggest that if anyone is going to be edged out, it's Tomori.