Marcus Rashford, Jack Grealish, Harry Maguire and the 26-man England squad who missed out on Euro 2024 selection

Sam Johnstone has been a regular member of England squads over the past 18 months, but an elbow injury suffered in March ruled him out of making the Euros. His place was taken by club-mate Dean Henderson.

One of 13 players from England's 2022 World Cup squad who didn't make it to the Euros, Nick Pope missed almost six months of action due to a shoulder injury suffered in early December, meaning he fell down the goalkeeping pecking order at international level.

Despite a nightmarish debut season at Burnley that ended with him being dropped from the line up at Turf Moor, James Trafford was named Southgate's preliminary squad for the Euros before being dropped at final cut-downs. The former Manchester City man showed what he is capable of in England's triumphant Under-21 Euros campaign last summer, and is clearly seen as one for the future.

Having been handed his England debut in Monday's friendly win over Bosnia & Herzegovina, many presumed Jarrad Branthwaite would make the final Euros squad. But despite injuries to other centre-backs, the Everton man fell just short. It wouldn't be a shock to see him back amongst it next season.

Injury meant that Ben Chilwell missed out on the 2022 World Cup, and his continued struggles to maintain full fitness likely played a role in him not making the Euros squad this time around, too.

After impressing for England U21s as they won the Euros in 2023, Colwill was immediately promoted to the senior squad, but injury issues and mixed form for Chelsea meant he was unable to hold onto his place. Expect him to return to the international reckoning soon enough, though.

Back in January, few fans were asking for Eric Dier to earn a recall to the England squad. But after returning to form following a move to Bayern Munich, the 49-time capped centre-back was being tipped for a place on the plane. As it was, his revival came too late in the cycle for Southgate to consider him.

For a player of his ability, Reece James' tally of just 16 England caps as he approaches his 25th birthday is remarkably low, but speaks to the injury issues the Chelsea captain has endured over the past two seasons. With competition for places at right-back fierce, he desperately needs run of fitness to get himself back into the international fold.

Rico Lewis made his England debut in November, but that remains the Manchester City full-back's solitary cap to date. His versatility should mean he becomes a mainstay of the squad in the coming years, however.

Were it not for the calf injury that Harry Maguire picked up late in the season at Manchester United, he would not only have been in the Euros squad, but would have yet again been a starter for Southgate at the heart of the defence. At 31, it's fair to ask how many more tournament cycles he has left in him.

Despite his surprise call-up to Southgate's preliminary Euros squad, few expected Jarrell Quansah to force his way into the 26 at the first time of asking. However, the Liverpool youngster has got a taste of life around the squad, and should be expected to be back in the fold come the autumn.

Fikayo Tomori is certainly one of the more curious cases when it comes to players on the fringes of the England squad. The Chelsea academy graduate has been a shining light for AC Milan over the past three seasons, but only has five international caps to his name, with Southgate seemingly not convinced of his talents.

There is an argument to say that Ben White was the best right-back in the Premier League last season, so his continued refusal to play for England must be a source of frustration for Southgate. It remains to be seen whether the Arsenal man can be convinced to change his mind post-Euros.

Ross Barkley making it all the way back to the England squad after five years in the international wilderness would have been quite the story, but despite calls for the 30-year-old to be brought into the fold following his superb performances for Luton, he remains down the pecking order.

Harvey Elliott's continued improvement at Liverpool is surely going to lead to him earning England honours sooner rather than later. Still just 21, the versatile midfielder has time on his side, and it would be a surprise if he doesn't break through in the next 12 months.

Jordan Henderson's decision to move to the Saudi Pro League always looked like it would put his Euros spot at risk, and though he ended his spell with Al-Ettifaq after just six months to join Ajax, one of Southgate's previous favourites was unable to show enough to warrant a summer call-up.

Had Curtis Jones not suffered an ankle injury in February that took all the momentum out of his season, the Liverpool midfielder very well could have been heading for the Euros. And though he was still able to earn a call-up to the preliminary squad, his wait for a first international cap goes on.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek was by no means a glaring omission from Southgate's Euros squad, but it is worth noting how revived the former Chelsea midfielder has looked since moving to AC Milan last summer. A return to the international fold, therefore, cannot be ruled out.

It just doesn't feel like it's ever going to happen for James Maddison and England. After finally forcing his way into the squad on the eve of the 2022 World Cup, he didn't make an appearance in Qatar, and has now been left out of the Euros 26 after a disappointing second half of the season at Tottenham.

Between 2020-2022, it was unthinkable that Mason Mount would fall out of England contention. Not only was he one of the best young midfielders in the Premier League, but he was also a huge favourite of Southgate's. But after a poor final season at Chelsea and an injury-hit debut campaign at Manchester United, he is closing in on two years since his last international appearance.

Given where he was just two years ago, it's not an exaggeration to dub Kalvin Phillips' move to Manchester City an unmitigated disaster. The midfielder never convinced Pep Guardiola, while his loan spell at West Ham proved just as miserable. As a result, his fall from England starter to being an afterthought shouldn't come as a surprise.

It seems that not even Jack Grealish's England team-mates expected him to be left out of the Euros squad, with reports suggesting that Southgate was questioned by at least one player as to why the Manchester City winger wouldn't be in Germany. That said, his form this past season was hardly convincing, while he has also been plagued by injury issues.

This time last year, it felt like Marcus Rashford was back at the top of the game. He'd just netted over 30 times for Manchester United and had enjoyed an encouraging World Cup for England, too. But after a 2023-24 campaign in which he scored just eight goals in all competitions, he fell back out of favour at international level, and may now need a summer transfer to again revive his career.

Up until a few weeks ago, few would have blamed Southgate for not even considering Jadon Sancho. The winger had been ostracised by Manchester United and was hardly tearing it up having returned to former club Borussia Dortmund in January. But Sancho's performances in the latter stages of the Champions League showed he can still perform on the biggest stage, and if he can maintain that form, he could yet force his way back into the Three Lions reckoning.

The star of England's run to the final of the Euros in 2021, if you'd said then that Sterling wouldn't even make the preliminary squad for the 2024 edition, few would have believed you. The winger, however, has endured a fairly miserable two seasons at Chelsea, leaving Southgate with little choice but to dispose of one of his favourites of the past.

Callum Wilson went to the 2026 World Cup as Harry Kane's primary back-up, and while the Newcastle striker has continued to score at an impressive rate in the Premier League, he continues to be plagued by injury issues. At 32, his international career might be all-but done, too.