England boss Gareth Southgate says James Maddison was left out of the squad for Euro 2024 simply because other players are in better form.
Crystal Palace star Ebere Eze and Chelsea’s Cole Palmer were among the attacking talents included in the squad.
Their form for their clubs was rewarded, with Tottenham’s Maddison missing out along with Jack Grealish of Manchester City.
“All the players took the news really respectfully. Of course, all players will think they should be in and that’s why they are top players,” Southgate said at a news conference on Thursday afternoon.
“They have that self-belief and mindset, but the fact is we have some players who have been playing extremely well in the league all season.
“We just felt other players had stronger seasons particularly in the last six months or so.”
Maddison posted on social media that he was “devastated” not to be included but admitted that his form for Spurs had been below par.
“Madders and Jack would have provided us with something different as well and they’ve been tough calls,” Southgate added.
“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 rationale.
“We back our decisions but we recognise we could have gone a different route. The boys are big characters, fabulous team-mates and great boys to work with. It’s sad to have to deliver that news to them.”
England’s Euros squad:
Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford (Everton), Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Aaron Ramsdale (Arsenal)
Defenders: Lewis Dunk (Brighton), Joe Gomez (Liverpool), Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Luke Shaw (Man Utd), John Stones (Manchester City), Kieran Trippier (Newcastle), Kyle Walker (Manchester City)
Midfielders: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Conor Gallagher (Chelsea), Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United), Declan Rice (Arsenal), Adam Wharton (Crystal Palace)
Forwards: Jarrod Bowen (West Ham), Eberechi Eze (Crystal Palace), Phil Foden (Manchester City), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Cole Palmer (Chelsea), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Ivan Toney (Brentford), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa).