Manchester United trio Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw and Marcus Rashford have been picked in the England squad for the upcoming Euro 2024 qualifiers against Italy and Ukraine.
The Three Lions will be playing their first competitive game since their elimination by France in the World Cup quarter-final and Gareth Southgate has selected a 25-man squad.
Maguire has been a mainstay for England despite his limited playing time under manager Erik ten Hag and there are no surprises that he has made the cut for the upcoming qualifiers.
Alongside him, Shaw has retained his place after the World Cup. The 27-year-old has made the left-back role his own lately but will now face competition from Chelsea’s Ben Chilwell.
Meanwhile, Marcus Rashford’s inclusion was a no-brainer decision. The United graduate was one of the stand-out performers for England in Qatar with three goals to his name.
Since the World Cup, he has been simply world-class for the Red Devils. Rashford has already amassed a stunning 26 goals and nine assists from 42 appearances at club level this term.
Here is England’s 25-man squad for the Euro 2024 qualifiers against Italy and Ukraine.
Aside from the trio, Jadon Sancho is the other United star, who would have fancied making the squad. However, he still has plenty to prove, having only returned to first-team action last month.
The 22-year-old looked short in confidence in the lead-up to the World Cup last year and Ten Hag sent him on a special training programme to the Netherlands during the winter break.
The attacker only reported for United training in the middle of January. Since his comeback, he has chipped in with two goals but has yet to revive his form from his Borussia Dortmund days.
Hence, Sancho’s absence from the Three Lions squad does not surprise us. Hopefully, he will find the consistency over the next two months such that he can earn a call-up for the June internationals.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com
