Germany's players were left 'stunned' when they found out which player has been included in the England squad instead of Jack Grealish.
England's final 26-man squad for Euro 2024 was confirmed on Thursday afternoon, but there was no room for Manchester City star Grealish.
The 28-year-old was the biggest casualty of Gareth Southgate's cuts to bring the squad down from 33 to 26, with James Maddison another surprise omission.
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Harry Maguire, Jarell Quansah, James Maddison, James Trafford and Jarrad Branthwaite were also culled after being named in the provisional squad.
Grealish won a third successive Premier League title with City this season, but on a personal level he did not have a great campaign.
The attacker contributed just three goals and three assists in 36 games in all competitions, while in the Premier League he made only 10 starts.
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Grealish's ability to retain possession and win fouls made him a key player in City's 2022-23 treble-winning season, but he failed to up his goal contributions when City took a less controlled approach this term.
Yet despite an underwhelming campaign, Germany's stars expected Grealish to be in the England squad.
According to the Independent, many members of Die Mannschaft were left 'stunned' when they saw England's Euro 2024 squad.
They apparently view Grealish as a player who 'provokes fear in opposition when he runs at them', and they don't feel the same way about Eberechi Eze, the man who has replaced him.
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The 25-year-old enjoyed a stand-out campaign with Crystal Palace and impressed during England's 3-0 win against Bosnia & Herzegovina on Monday.
A few weeks ago Eze was an outsider to make the final squad, but now he will look to add to his three international caps.
Time will tell if Southgate's decision to axe Grealish was the right one or not.
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When asked if Grealish's recent form cost him his place in the squad, Southgate said: “I don’t think today would be a good day to talk about the bigger picture. I don’t think that would be fair.
"I have just delivered a really difficult conversation to a lad who is devastated. I think the world of him as a kid. Yes. I am not going to go any broader than that."
Southgate has long been criticised for being loyal to out-of-form stars, but he has appeared to prioritise form over experience for this tournament.
He'll be hoping that Grealish's popularity in the dressing room and ball-retention abilities are not missed.
Topics: England, Euro 2024, Jack Grealish, Gareth Southgate, Germany, Crystal Palace, Football
Alex Brotherton