The England boss has a number of tough calls to make (Picture: Getty)
Gareth Southgate now has just over two months to settle on his final England squad for Euro 2024.
The squad announcement is likely giving Southgate endless sleepless nights, as the Three Lions boss faces the unenviable task of whittling down his embarrassment of riches into one final list of players.
The friendly fixtures against Brazil and Belgium may have given Southgate some more clarity as to the make-up of his final squad, but with several weeks of the season still left to play out, there is still plenty of time for his plans to change considerably.
Whilst the likes of Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham are guaranteed their seat on the plane, a whole host of places are still up for grabs, with Manchester United midfielder Kobbie Mainoo and Newcastle forward Anthony Gordon amongst those hoping to force their way into the reckoning.
When is the England squad announced for Euro 2024?
The England squad announcement for Euro 2024 will take place on Tuesday, May 21.
Mainoo impressed for England during his first two caps (Picture: Getty)
This will be a preliminary squad, with around 30 names set to be included on the list.
The announcement comes two days after the Premier League season ends, but before the finals of the FA Cup, Champions League, Europa League and Europa Conference League.
This means that Southgate will face a nervous wait to see if any of his players involved in the finals come through unscathed.
Two days after the Champions League final, England play Bosnia and Herzegovina in their penultimate Euro 2024 warm-up game at St. James’ Park on June 3.
England will return to Wembley to face Iceland on June 7, with the UEFA deadline for the final squad submittal just one hour after the full-time whistle that evening.
England begin their Euro 2024 campaign against Serbia on June 16.
How many players will be in the England squad for Euro 2024?
As things stand, Southgate can name 23 players in his final squad for Euro 2024.
Of these 23 players, UEFA regulations state that three must be goalkeepers.
An increase in squad size could be beneficial to the likes of Anthony Gordon (Picture: Getty)
However, the squad cap could yet be increased to 26 players, with the matter to be discussed in a meeting between UEFA and the national team managers in April.
UEFA had increased the squad cap from 23 to 26 for Euro 2020 in an effort to mitigate against the effects of the pandemic.
The same approach was then adopted by FIFA for the Qatar World Cup, citing ongoing concerns over Covid and to reduce player workload given the tournament was taking place during the middle of a grueling season.
UEFA elected to return to the traditional 23-man cap for Euro 2024, but a string of injuries across various teams during the March international break saw the conversation brought back into the spotlight.
An increase in the number of players allowed in each squad would allow Southgate, as well as the managers of the other 23 teams, to take more of a risk with their selections, especially over the inclusion of players who are nursing injury concerns.