Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw rank high among their peers in the England squad for goals and it says a lot about Gareth Southgate’s decision.
Gareth Southgate has now announced his England squad for the European Championships this summer and there’s one thing which is severely lacking from the players selected.
Southgate’s side encompasses a lot of young and inexperienced attackers, which in turn sees them lacking goals for England.
This sees two of the three Manchester United players called up sitting among the top scorers in the squad which Southgate named, despite that not really being their job.
Here’s where Luke Shaw and Harry Maguire rank among their England Euro 2024 peers for goals…
How many goals have Luke Shaw and Harry Maguire scored for England?
Obviously, both Maguire and Shaw are defenders and not exactly known for their goals, but due to the young attackers Southgate has opted for, the pair are among the top scorers in the squad for England.
The list sees Maguire third, ahead of Phil Foden and only four behind Bukayo Saka, while Shaw has only one less than Foden with just two games less.
This is quite incredible to see that two United defenders are third and sixth top scorers in the squad Southgate has called up for the Euros.
This is due to the likes of Marcus Rashford and Raheem Sterling not being called up for the tournament. But the fact Maguire is third does say a lot about the decision to leave Rashford at home.
The decision not to call up Marcus Rashford looks baffling
While he has had a poor season and missing out on the squad is exactly what Rashford needs, it’s a call which doesn’t make sense from Southgate’s point of view.
Rashford has scored 17 times for England which would have him clear as the second highest scorer in the squad if he was called up.
The 26-year-old has the ability to step up when England needs him and score pivotal goals and has the experience that this squad is slightly lacking.
The decision to not call Rashford up could be one which bites Southgate should his chosen attackers continue struggling in front of goal.