Harry Kane will lead England at Euro 2024 this summer (Picture: Getty Images)
Harry Kane says the England squad is united and every player deserves their spot at Euro 2024 after Gareth Southgate confirmed the 26 men he is taking to Germany.
The England boss named 33 players in his squad ahead of the final two friendlies and had to cut it down to 26 for the tournament.
Some always seemed likely to be axed, while Harry Maguire was forced out of contention due to injur, but the likes of Jack Grealish and James Maddison caused something of a stir as they have been left at home.
Grealish was the biggest shock, although he has not had a great season with Manchester City and there is immense competition in his area of the pitch, with the likes of Phil Foden, Eberechi Eze, Anthony Gordon and Cole Palmer all making the final cut.
While some fans are not happy that Grealish has been excluded from the final squad, Kane insists everyone who made the cut deserves to be there and it is a strong unit that is heading to Germany for their Euro 2024 campaign.
‘Everyone here has earned the right to be here and has proven they deserve to be there. That is what we have said to everyone,’ said the Bayern Munich striker.
‘We go away and everyone should be proud they are representing England at a major tournament. Everyone brings something different to the team and we are going to need all 26 players if we are going to be successful. That is the message, that we are together.
Jack Grealish was something of a surprise exclusion from England’s final squad (Picture: Getty Images)
‘There are a lot of fantastic players. Players who have had really, really good seasons. You can’t ignore that. Players at the top of their game, on high form, deserve to be playing for their country.
‘Being England manager is not easy — you have a lot of tough decisions, a lot of players to pick from. You can only choose 26. We have done that and I think we have a fantastic squad.
‘But as always, it is about how you handle the games and the tournament, how you handle the pressure. We are going to have to deal with that in the weeks to come.’
Gareth Southgate had some tough calls to make when deciding his final squad (Picture: Getty Images)
Southgate is relying on less experienced players like Palmer, Eze and Gordon, but said he is excited about the squad he has picked.
Speaking last week he said: ‘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. I think people will be captivated by that.’
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