England manager Gareth Southgate said he is confident that fans will come to be captivated by the “different” squad he has named for this month’s European Championship in Germany.
England’s squad is packed with attacking talent but short of defensive experience, with Manchester United defender Harry Maguire and Manchester City midfielder Jack Grealish among the high-profile omissions.
“There’s some disappointment today but there’ll be a lot of excitement about players we’ve selected and to see some of the players who mean we’ve got a different look about us in terms of how we play,” Southgate told reporters on Thursday.
“I think people will be captivated by that. For some (players), they’ve had few opportunities to play at Wembley and that’s hugely exciting for them.
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“I’m trying to conduct myself respectfully because of the players who have gone today. But equally I’m hugely excited about the squad.”
Injuries impacted the selections in defence with Maguire, who has 63 caps and seven goals for England, left out after failing to recover from a muscle injury in time for the tournament.
Southgate admitted that the absence of 6’4” Maguire could reduce England’s aerial strength, but stressed that the other defenders in the team had other valuable attributes that would make up for it.
“I think all the centre-backs in the squad are ready,” he said.
“They’ve all had experience with us. Ezri (Konsa) has had an excellent season. Marc (Guehi) is the one that’s had more opportunities with us. We’ve seen what he can bring for a while.
“Look, we’ll be different. We’ll miss Harry’s aerial presence. There’s no doubt about that but there’s more speed in those guys so everybody has different attributes.”
England faces Iceland in a friendly game on Friday before starting its Euro 2024 campaign against Serbia on June 16.