Five Man Utd and Chelsea stars set to miss out in Gareth Southgate’s latest England squad

Gareth Southgate, manager of England, will unveil his roster for the next Euro 2024 qualifiers, as the Three Lions face some difficult selection dilemmas. The Three Lions face Malta and North Macedonia in June, with Southgate naming his squad in front of the media on Wednesday afternoon, and he will be missing key regular figures in the national team setup, including five players from Manchester United and Chelsea.

Manchester City’s England stars will have a well-deserved rest when they compete in the Champions League final against Inter Milan on June 10, barely nine days before the first match against Malta in Valetta. This would include Kyle Walker, Kalvin Phillips, Phil Foden, and John Stones being allowed to forego international service and rest up on vacation.

With a slew of other players out due to injury, Southgate may experiment by calling up guys who have been waiting for their moment. Trent Alexander-Arnold of Liverpool might profit from Walker’s absence, while Ben White has been ‘approached’ about returning to the group.

However, as is always the case, some players will be overlooked entirely on merit. Express Sport examines which England players may be left out of Southgate’s final selection.

Jadon Sancho Sancho hasn’t played for England since a 5-0 triumph over Andorra in September 2021, just after joining Manchester United for £73 million.

The 22-year-old has had a difficult time with the Red Devils and is not a regular under Erik ten Hag, despite scoring five Premier League goals this season.

Sancho’s demeanor and attitude have improved noticeably since returning from a lengthy layoff, with the player appearing revitalized after his return to action. However, England is blessed with a lot of offensive quality, and Southgate’s reluctance to select Sancho could surface once more.

Wan-Bissaka Aaron Wan-Bissaka
With Reece James out and Alexander-Arnold’s international future uncertain, Wan-Bissaka may have hoped that his longer stint in the United side would provide him with some game time.

However, despite his £50 million transfer from Crystal Palace in 2019, Southgate has never called on the 26-year-old to form part of his squad and make an impact. Even players like Kyle Walker-Peters have recently got call-ups from Southgate.

There appears to be nothing Wan-Bissaka can do to influence England manager Gareth Southgate’s plans, and it would be a great surprise if he was given a rare opportunity against Malta and Luxembourg.

Mount Mason
The Chelsea star has been out with an abdominal ailment since March, and he only appeared briefly against Real Madrid before the club chose to rest him for an extended period to avoid exacerbating the problem.

But that only covers Mount’s distractions and frustrations, with uncertainties about his Chelsea future impacting his form on the field. The 24-year-old has only scored three Premier League goals this season, despite having double-digit goals and assists last season.

Southgate has lauded the midfielder on multiple times, but even he would struggle to justify Mount’s inclusion in the squad right now, even if he were healthy. Instead, his Chelsea teammate Conor Gallagher and possibly Crystal Palace’s Ebere Eze could benefit from Mount’s absence.

James, Reece
Frank Lampard has ruled James out for the remainder of the season, as he struggles to shrug off a recurrent hamstring ailment, leaving a spot free at right-back for Walker-Peters and White to be called up.

In the second half of the season, the 23-year-old has been hindered by tight muscles and hamstring strains, with a knee ailment ruling him out of the World Cup in November.

If completely fit, he would fight Kieran Tripper for the starting berth, but James’ fitness has been tough to rely on this season, and he may welcome the longer break that comes with being left out.

Chilwell, Ben

Chilwell was one of the Premier League’s best defenders before he pulled up with a hamstring injury against Bournemouth, and he will be desperate to heal fast because he will miss these games.

The 26-year-old was a bright spot in the second part of the season before he suffered his latest setback. It has at least removed a problem for Southgate, who would have had to choose between Chilwell and Luke Shaw, who has also been performing well for United.