Nigeria- born trio of striker Tammy Abraham and defenders Fikayo Tomori and Tosin Adarabioyo have been left out of Egland’s 33-man provisional squad for next month’s European championship.
The Nigerians have pledged their allegiance to their country of birth with the duo of Tomori who played on loan from Chelsea in the just concluded 2020/21 Serie A season and out-of-favour Abraham already capped by England.
Fulham defender Adarabioyo has only been capped at U-21 level but the former Manchester City academy player has also pledge his international future to England.
Also out of this summer’s Euros are Leicester City’s James Maddison and Eric Dier of Tottenham.
Dier, in particular, has been a regular for Southgate after excelling at the 2018 World Cup, but he and Maddison have fallen victim for a dip in form recently.
Meanwhile Manchester United’s Jesse Lingard who played on loan in the second half of the just ended season and Aston Villa talisman Jack Grealish have been included in the provisional European Championship squad.
They were joined by Trent Alexander-Arnold and Bukayo Saka, as Gareth Southgate opted to keep his players guessing ahead of the finals.
The England manager has bought himself time by deciding to name a large provisional squad, before reducing it to 26 next Tuesday. But it means a host of players still face an anxious wait before Southgate makes his final call.
Lingard has made a late push after being left on the fringes at Manchester United. His outstanding form on loan at West Ham saw him score nine goals in 16 appearances as David Moyes’s side secured Europa League qualification.
Southgate rewarded him with an England recall in March after personally recommending the forward to West Ham in January.
Grealish’s inclusion has been a source of debate all season, with the Aston Villa captain seen as a rival to Phil Foden and Mason Mount.
He could still miss the final cut, but is clearly high in Southgate’s thoughts. Saka has been rewarded for his continued development at Arsenal, which has seen him become a revelation for club and country.
The decision to name a long list was due to the involvement of three English teams in European finals this week, with 11 players in action for Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United.
Harry Maguire is one of the major injury concerns, with the centre-back a serious doubt for United’s Europa League Final against Villarreal in Gdansk tomorrow due to ankle ligament damage.
It is still not certain he will be fit for England’s opening game at the Euros, against Croatia on June 13 at Wembley.
There is also uncertainty over Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson, who has returned to fitness but not played since suffering a groin injury in February.
England squad in full
Goalkeepers: Henderson, Johnstone, Pickford, Ramsdale
Defenders: Alexander-Arnold, Chilwell, Coady, Godfrey, James, Maguire, Mings, Shaw, Stones, Trippier, Walker, White
Midfielders: Bellingham, Henderson, Lingard, Mount, Phillips, Rice, Ward-Prowse
Forwards: Calvert-Lewin, Foden, Grealish, Greenwood, Kane, Rashford, Saka, Sancho, Sterling, Watkins