Harry Maguire has revealed that he is ‘devastated’ to miss out on England’s squad for the European Championships, after the Manchester United star was unable to recover form injury in time to make the tournament.
The defender is one of the seven players cut from Gareth Southgate’s provisional 33-man squad for the event which gets underway next week.
Maguire has been ever-present for the Three Lions boss since his appointment in 2018 and was expected to partner John Stones in England’s defence. But the 31-year-old was unable to recover from a calf injury that sidelined him for United’s final four Premier League games and the FA Cup final win over Manchester City.
He broke his silence following reports of his omission on Thursday and said that he was devastated to miss out but looks forward to cheering on the team in Germany as a fan.
‘I am devastated not to have been selected to play for England at the Euros this summer.’ Maguire wrote on X. ‘Despite my best efforts, I have not been able to overcome an injury to my calf. Maybe I pushed myself too hard, to try and make it.
Harry Maguire will miss the European Championships after being unable to recover from a calf injury
Harry Maguire said that he was devastated to miss out on the Euros but looked forward to supporting the team in Germany as a fan
‘Simply, I am absolutely gutted. For me, representing England is the highest honour. It means everything to me. If I can’t help the team as a player, I will support them as a fan – along with the rest of the country. Go and win it boys.
‘Next, I will return to the supervision of the Manchester United medical team in order to prepare for next season.’
Maguire is expected to join Jack Grealish, Curtis Jones, Jarrell Quansah, Jarrad Branthwaite, James Madison and James Trafford in missing out on a place in the final tournament roster.
The Manchester City winger has now paid the price for his disappointing campaign at the Etihad.
Elsewhere, Liverpool midfielder Jones also will be among the players to miss out on the final England squad for Euro 2024. Jones will join Maddison who has also been told he won’t make the final cut.
The Anfield star was handed his first call up when Gareth Southgate named his provisional 33 man party for the tournament last month.
But he will miss out on travelling to Germany, as will Tottenham midfielder Maddison, who was widely viewed as one of the players at risk of missing out following a largely disappointing second half of the season.
Jack Grealish (left) and James Maddison have both been left out of Southgate’s final England squad
It is understood Maddison was in line to play in Friday’s final warm-up fixture versus Iceland, but that will no longer be the case with Jarrod Bowen pushing to take his place in the team.
Sources indicate Maddison’s decision to leave the squad on Wednesday is linked to Southgate’s decision to leave him out of the final party.
