Greenwood to miss out on Euro squad; Man Utd teammate also to be axed
Mason Greenwood has withdrawn from the England squad for Euro 2020 ahead of the final confirmation of Gareth Southgate’s selection.
Manchester United forward Greenwood was named in the provisional 33-man squad, which will be cut to 26 on Tuesday. Southgate faces some tough decisions on who to omit, but one has been made for him. United have confirmed that Greenwood will not be taking part due to injury.
A club statement read: “Manchester United striker Mason Greenwood has withdrawn from the provisional England Euro 2020 squad, in order to recover fully from an underlying injury that also kept him out of the Under-21 European Championship in March.
“Mason’s club appearances were managed carefully to maintain his availability through the intensive 2020/21 Premier League and Europa League schedules.
“But a further spell of tournament football would not be beneficial and Mason will remain at Manchester United to recuperate and prepare for pre-season training.”
Greenwood started 21 Premier League games for United in the 2020-21 season, scoring seven goals. He also started the Europa League final against Villarreal, but was taken off in extra time.
A productive end to the season that saw him score seven goals since the start of March earned him a place in the provisional England squad. He would have hoped to add to his solitary senior cap, but will have to wait to do so.
While Greenwood’s omission is necessary, Jesse Lingard will consider himself unlucky.
According to David Ornstein of The Athletic, the midfielder will also miss out despite ending the season in fine form on loan at West Ham.
There has been much speculation about Lingard’s long-term Man Utd future. But he won’t get the chance to further prove himself on the international stage.
Southgate to cull five more
England now need to reduce their squad by a further five players before the tournament begins. Confirmation will arrive later on Tuesday but details have started to leak.
For example, The Guardian claim that Southampton midfielder James Ward-Prowse will also pull out with injury. However, The Athletic claim Liverpool counterpart Jordan Henderson will make it.
“Southgate has decided to go with midfielders from clubs who finished higher in the Premier League table,” Ornstein wrote.
“That is thought to include Henderson, despite the Liverpool captain having played no competitive football since February.”
The Press Association have added that Aaron Ramsdale, Ben Godfrey and Ben White are “most likely to miss out.”
One of the four right-backs will also be at risk. Trent Alexander-Arnold in particular faces an anxious wait to see if he makes it.
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