Wayne Rooney has delivered his verdict on Tottenham Hotspur star James Maddison missing out on Euro 2024.
Gareth Southgate named his final 26-man England squad for Euro 2024 last week and it turned out to be a huge disappointment for James Maddison.
The 27-year-old had featured in a 3-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina and impressed off the bench. But Southgate ultimately decided to bring the likes of Eberechi Eze, who is on Tottenham’s radar, and Cole Palmer over Maddison.
It was a huge blow for the Spurs star who had started his career in north London in dazzling form after his switch from Leicester City last summer.
His form after returning from an ankle injury in January ultimately cost him a place at the tournament in Germany.
Now, former England and Manchester United star Wayne Rooney has shared whether he’d have picked Maddison.
Rooney delivers Maddison verdict after Euro 2024 snub
Speaking on The Overlap, Rooney was picking his England XI ahead of Sunday’s opener against Serbia.
The Plymouth Argyle boss also discussed Southgate’s decision to snub Maddison and explained why he feels it was the right choice.
“No,” Rooney responded when asked if he’d have taken Maddison. “He’ll be disappointed especially with Eze coming into the squad, Anthony Gordon coming in, Cole Palmer has had an unbelievable season as well. I think he can play out wide Maddison but his best position is number 10.
“The only thing I don’t agree with was in the Bosnia game, I didn’t get why Grealish and Maddison came onto the pitch if they weren’t going.”
What Maddison said after missing out on England squad
Maddison was disappointed with Southgate’s decision after featuring in every squad during the qualifying campaign.
Eagle-eyed supporters also picked up on the midfielder removing any mention of England from his Instagram bio after being dropped.
The Spurs star took to social media following the decision last week and posted a heartfelt message to supporters.
“Devastated doesn’t quite cut it,” he wrote. “Trained well and worked hard all week but if I’m honest with myself, my form for Spurs when coming back from injury in the second half of the season probably wasn’t at the levels I had set which gave Gareth a decision to make.
“I still thought there would be a space for me in a 26-man squad as I feel I bring something different & had been a mainstay in this whole qualifying campaign for Euro 2024 in Germany but the manager has made the decision and I have to respect that.
“I’ll be back, I have no doubt. Wishing the boys all the luck in the world out in Germany, unbelievable group and lads that I literally call some of my best friends. I genuinely hope football comes home.”