By Tom Gott
Gareth Southgate has explained his decisions to omit both Marcus Rashford and Jordan Henderson from his latest England squad.
The boss named his 33-man preliminary squad for this summer's European Championship and made the big calls to leave out both Rashford and Henderson, while Chelsea trio Ben Chilwell, Reece James and Levi Colwill have all been overlooked as well.
"These are difficult calls," Southgate told Tuesday's press conference. "We're talking about very good players who have been an important part of what we have done over a number of years."
Quizzed on Rashford's absence, Southgate offered a brutally honest opinion on the forward's season with Manchester United.
"With Marcus, I just feel that other players in that area of the pitch have had better seasons. It's as simple as that."
Arguably even more surprising was the omission of Henderson. Southgate has refused to budge from his support for the Ajax midfielder, even when it became clear his short-lived switch to Saudi Arabia was destined to end his international career early.
Southgate's faith has worn out, however, with the boss pointing to recent fitness concerns for justification of his decision.
"The 33 isn't quite a fair definition [of England's 33 best players], because we're taking a longer squad with some young players to have a look at as well," the boss continued. "Hendo has given himself every chance. The determining factor is the injury he picked up around the last camp.
"He has missed five weeks and just hasn't been able to get the intensity in the games since then. He's a fantastic professional and that was a really difficult call to make because he has been so important, so supportive in my time here.
"I have to say, all the boys when I've spoken to - Ben [Chilwell], Marcus [Rashford], Jordan [Henderson] - they were incredibly professional and they dealt with the disappointment really well."
Finally, Southgate was also asked about the continued absence of Ben White, who was a focal point of his last squad announcement in March after it was revealed he had refused a call-up to the team.
"As far as I'm aware, he's not available to us," Southgate responded, before encouraging questions on a different subject.
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This article was originally published on 90min.com as Gareth Southgate explains shock omissions from England's Euro 2024 party.
