Austria captain David Alaba was left out of the country’s provisional Euro 2024 squad on Tuesday, but the injured Real Madrid defender will accompany the team to Germany as a ‘non-playing captain’, the Austrian Football Federation said.
Coach Ralf Rangnick announced the squad of 29 players, taking into account a wave of recent and longer term injuries.
Alaba, who played in two of Austria’s previous Euros appearances in 2016 and 2020, picked up a major knee injury last December.
“It is a great shame of course that he isn’t available to us as a player. Over the last weeks I’ve have had close exchanges with David. He stressed he wanted very much to still be with us,” Rangnick said.
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“Therefore, I am very happy to say this will be possible after a good discussion with his club Real Madrid.”
Midfielder Xaver Schlager will miss the tournament after damaging his left knee at the start of May, as will first choice goalkeeper Alexander Schlager who also picked up a knee injury.
Austria faces France, the Netherlands, and Poland in Group D at the Euros and play friendlies against Serbia on June 4 and Switzerland on June 8.
Austria Euro 2024 Squad
Goalkeepers: Niklas Hedl (Rapid Vienna/AUT), Tobias Lawal (Linz), Heinz Lindner (Union Saint-Gilloise/BEL), Patrick Pentz (Brondby/DEN)
Defenders: Flavius Daniliuc (Red Bull Salzburg/AUT), Kevin Danso (Lens/FRA), Stefan Lainer (Borussia Moenchengladbach/GER), Philipp Lienhart (Freiburg/GER), Phillipp Mwene (Mainz/GER), Stefan Posch (Bologne/ITA), Leopold Querfeld (Rapid Vienna/AUT), Gernot Trauner (Feyenoord/NED), Maximilian Wober (Borussia Moenchengladbach/GER)
Midfielders: Thierno Ballo (Wolfsberg/AUT), Christoph Baumgartner (RB Leipzig/GER), Florian Grillitsch (Hoffenheim/GER), Marco Grull (Rapid Vienna), Florian Kainz (Cologne/GER), Konrad Laimer (Bayern Munich/GER), Alexander Prass (Sturm Graz), Marcel Sabitzer (Borussia Dortmund/GER), Romano Schmid (Werder Bremen/GER), Matthias Seidl (Rapid Vienna), Nicolas Seiwald (RB Leipzig/GER), Patrick Wimmer (Wolfsburg/GER)
Forwards: Marko Arnautovic (Inter Milan/ITA), Maximilian Entrup (Hartberg), Michael Gregoritsch (Freiburg/GER), Andreas Weimann (West Bromwich Albion/ENG)
