Marcus Rashford paid for his poor season as the Manchester United forward was left out of England boss Gareth Southgate’s provisional 33-man squad for Euro 2024 on Tuesday.
Former Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson and Chelsea skipper Reece James were among the other big names to miss out on the squad, that must be trimmed to a maximum of 26 before the tournament in Germany begins.
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Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton is rewarded for the Eagles’ brilliant end to the Premier League season with his first-ever call up.
Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite and Liverpool duo Jarell Quansah and Curtis Jones are the other uncapped players selected with Southgate short on defensive options.
England face Bosnia and Herzegovina on June 3 and Iceland four days later before jetting off for Germany, where they are one of the favourites to win the tournament.
The wealth of options available to Southgate in attacking areas means Rashford misses out on a major international tournament for the first time since the 2014 World Cup.
Rashford has scored just eight times in 42 appearances for his club this season and only recently returned from injury.
Rashford’s exclusion from the provisional England squad is what The Times’ Martin Samuel described as “a watershed moment” given how he’d often find himself included even if other players were in better form.
“Looking at the names of his forward selections, Rashford does not merit inclusion above any of them,” Samuel wrote.
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“He may not even be first reserve, given Dominic Solanke was left out.
“His performances for Manchester United this season have been so ordinary, so lackadaisical, that even Old Trafford’s faithful have turned against him.”
Henderson’s move to Ajax in January after a short spell in Saudi Arabia has not done enough to earn the 33-year-old a place.
The fact Southgate was all too happy to leave Henderson, one of his most trusted lieutenants, out of the squad is why The Telegraph’s Oliver Brown believed his omission should count as “his greatest humiliation yet”.
“Henderson has long been one of the England manager’s hardiest perennials, so central to the cause that he was still serving as vice-captain in the two March friendlies against Brazil and Belgium,” Brown wrote.
“Eight weeks on, he no longer warrants even a spot in the extended squad. Indignities seldom come more scalding.
“While his move to Amsterdam was meant to have strengthened his case for a role at Euro 2024, it has merely consigned him to irrelevance.”
The same goes for Jadon Sancho despite his renaissance on his return to Champions League finalists Borussia Dortmund on loan from United.
Raheem Sterling and Kalvin Phillips were also overlooked despite shining for Southgate in the past at major tournaments.
Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden, who fired Manchester City to the Premier League title on Sunday, and Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka are included as part of a fearsome collection of creative talent to supply England’s all-time top goalscorer Harry Kane.
England’s men begin their quest to win a major tournament for the first time in 58 years against Serbia on June 16 before facing Denmark and Slovenia in Group C.
PROVISIONAL ENGLAND EURO 2024 SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford (Everton), Aaron Ramsdale (Arsenal), Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), James Trafford (Burnley)
Defenders: Kyle Walker, John Stones (both Manchester City), Luke Shaw, Harry Maguire (both Manchester United), Jarrad Branthwaite (Everton), Jarell Quansah, Joe Gomez (both Liverpool), Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace), Kieran Trippier (Newcastle), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Lewis Dunk (Brighton)
Midfielders: Declan Rice (Arsenal), Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United), Adam Wharton (Crystal Palace), Conor Gallagher (Chelsea), Trent Alexander-Arnold, Curtis Jones (both Liverpool)
Forwards: Harry Kane (Bayern Munich/GER), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa), Ivan Toney (Brentford), Jarrod Bowen (West Ham), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle), Cole Palmer (Chelsea), James Maddison (Tottenham), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid/ESP), Phil Foden, Jack Grealish (both Manchester City), Eberechi Eze (Crystal Palace)