England 'source' gives shock reason why Jack Grealish may have been cut from Euro 2024 squad

A source close to the England camp has given a surprise reason why Jack Grealish may have been left of Gareth Southgate's Euro 2024 squad.

Manchester City winger Grealish, 28, was one of seven players cut when England's preliminary 33-man squad was trimmed down to the final 26 for this summer's tournament in Germany.

Harry Maguire, James Maddison, James Trafford, Jarell Quansah, Curtis Jones and Jarrad Branthwaite were also cut by Southgate ahead of UEFA's official deadline for squads to be submitted on Friday.

Grealish was perhaps the most surprising omission, given his importance for England in previous tournaments under Southgate.

He played a key role when the Three Lions reached the final of Euro 2020, before losing on penalties to Italy at Wembley.

While Maguire was equally important in that run, his omission from the latest squad was less surprising given his recent injury troubles - with the Manchester United defender having not played since April due to a calf problem.

After news of Grealish's omission became public on Thursday, a sporting director at a top Premier club contacted The Telegraph and said: "How can the England manager leave out a player who can make such a big difference from the bench? Crazy."

Meanwhile, another source accused Southgate of taking the easy option by cutting Grealish, adding: "It's much easier to leave other players on the bench.

"The cameras would constantly be on Jack and the commentators would be asking when he was going to play if he was on the bench and England weren't winning."

Other sources close to the England camp reported the same to The Athletic.

"Some close to the squad - who spoke on the condition of anonymity to protect relationships - pondered whether cutting out Grealish altogether makes things simpler during the tournament, as Southgate does not have to handle public clamour for his selection or risk the TV cameras watching Grealish's every move on the bench," wrote James McNicholas.

Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Southgate explained his decision to cut the likes of Maddison and Grealish.

"[James Maddison] and Jack [Grealish] would have provided us with something different as well and they've been tough calls," he said.

Grealish (right) failed to make the England squad (Image: Getty)

"They're calls we've gone over and over and over as a group of staff to try to be fair and to try to use the right rationale.

"We back our decisions but we recognise we could have gone a different route. The boys are big characters, fabulous team-mates and great boys to work with.

"It's sad to have to deliver that news to them."

England face Iceland in their final warm-up match on Friday night.

The Three Lions will then take on Serbia in their opening match of the Euros on June 16 before further group games against Denmark (June 20) and Slovenia (June 25).

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