Manchester United defender Harry Maguire has expressed his deep disappointment at having to miss Euro 2024 due to injury. The 31-year-old, along with Manchester City forward Jack Grealish, both regulars in Gareth Southgate’s England squad, did not make the final 26-man list for the tournament.
Maguire has been unable to recover from a calf injury sustained in April, which also prevented him from playing in United’s FA Cup final victory over Manchester City last month.
In a post on social media, Maguire, who has earned 63 caps for the England national team, confirmed his absence from the squad set to compete in Germany.
“I’m devastated not to have been selected to play for England at the Euros this summer. Despite my best efforts, I’ve not been able to overcome an injury to my calf. Maybe I pushed myself too hard, to try and make it. Simply, I am absolutely gutted,” Maguire stated.
In addition to Maguire and Grealish, other notable absentees include Burnley goalkeeper James Trafford, Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite, Liverpool’s Jarell Quansah and Curtis Jones, and Tottenham midfielder James Maddison.
Maguire, who was initially included in Southgate’s 33-man provisional squad, emphasized the importance of representing England. “For me, representing England is the highest honour,” he added. “It means everything to me. If I can’t help the team as a player, I will support them as a fan – along with the rest of the country. Go and win it boys. Next, I will return to the supervision of the Manchester United medical team in order to prepare for next season.”
Earlier on Thursday, it was confirmed that Tottenham forward Maddison, 27, and Liverpool midfielder Jones, 23, had both left the training camp.
Maddison shared his thoughts on social media, writing, “Devastated doesn’t quite cut it. I still thought there would be a space for me in a 26-man squad as I feel I bring something different and 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.”
England will begin their Euro 2024 campaign with a Group C match against Serbia in Gelsenkirchen on 16 June, followed by games against Denmark on 20 June and Slovenia on 25 June.
