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Published 25 May 2021 4 min read
England Men's Senior Team

Southgate explains squad selection

Written by:

Nicholas Veevers

England manager Gareth Southgate has explained the thinking behind his decision to name a 33-man provisional squad for UEFA EURO 2020.
 
The Three Lions boss can select a final squad of 26 players for the competition, but still has a week until the UEFA deadline to submit his selection on Tuesday 1 June.
 
With 12 players in his long squad also in action at the Europa League and Champions League Finals this week, Southgate felt it was important to assess all of his options first-hand.
 
And with the remaining 21 members meeting up on Saturday ahead of the two warm-up games with Austria and Romania in Middlesbrough, he’s keen to make sure his charges are as ready as they can be.
 
"I think our situation is more complicated than any other country’s at the moment,” he said, following Tuesday’s announcement at St. George’s Park.
 
"We've known for a little while that, of this 33, we've got 12 players still to play in European Finals this week, so we were always going to need some additional players for the first part of our camp.
 
"Adding to that, we have a couple of injuries which are at different stages and some of which we have very little information about.
25 May 2021 37:48

Southgate on squad selection


England manager Gareth Southgate speaks to the media about his provisional squad for EURO 2020

"A couple are back into training or matches in Jordan [Henderson] or Jack Grealish, but not training consistently or with the team so we felt that more time would be in our interest. 
 
“I've always said my preference would be to name the squad as a clean 26, as we were able to do for Russia when we had standby players who knew their role, which is always a preferable situation.
 
"We're going to be away for a long period of time and we're going to have 26 players for 23 places on a matchday, so it's a real test for the whole group on putting the team and England first.
 
"Everybody will have their moment, a special moment when things might go their way, but we're a collective and right from the first day we report that's part of the journey.
 
"But we've not got an ideal hand of cards this time, there are a lot of unknowns and evidence is really important when you're making a decision. Over the next seven days, we're hoping we can make the best decision we can.”
 
Among his 33 players, there are three new faces who will be within the senior camp for the first time in the shape of Everton’s Ben Godfrey, Brighton’s Ben White and Sheffield United goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale.
 
Both Godfrey and Ramsdale have been England regulars at MU21 level this season, but for White it’s a first international call-up and Southgate is keen to see how they adapt.
Brighton's Ben White will join the England squad for the first time
Brighton's Ben White will join the England squad for the first time
"With this squad we've got some young players who if they're with us for one week or five weeks, it's going to be a brilliant experience for them,” he explained.
 
"They're [Godfrey and White] both exciting young defenders and there are others that we also like - Ezri Konsa has had a good season at Aston Villa, Fikayo [Tomori] has done well at Milan - and these two are really flexible and can play in different roles as well.
 
"This is a great opportunity for us to get to know them a bit better and for them to work with the team.
 
"It works for everybody and there's no knowing how long they'll be with us at this stage but it should be a fantastic experience for them."
 
The squad report to Middlesbrough’s Rockliffe Park training ground on Saturday, ahead of next week’s preparation games against Austria (8pm, Wednesday 2 June) and Romania (5pm, Sunday 6 June) at the Riverside Stadium. Tickets for the two matches are sold out, with both available to watch live in the UK on ITV.
 
UEFA’s deadline to submit a 26-man squad for this summer’s tournament is at 11pm (BST) on Tuesday 1 June, after which teams are able to make unlimited replacements before their first match in the event of serious injury or illness (including COVID-19 or 'close contact' to positive case).
 
England’s EURO 2020 campaign begins on Sunday 13 June against Croatia at Wembley Stadium, where they also take on Scotland and Czech Republic in the group stage. 

SEE THE SQUAD