Paul Scholes is “concerned” about the lack of “tournament know-how” in England’s attack at Euro 2024 and fears Gareth Southgate has made a “big mistake” by leaving Jack Grealish and Marcus Rashford at home.
Grealish was named in England’s provisional 33-man squad but missed out when Southgate reduced his squad to 26 players, with the Manchester City midfielder struggling for consistent form and fitness last season.
Meanwhile, Rashford, capped 60 times by England, was completely excluded from Southgate’s plans after a disappointing campaign at Manchester United, in which the striker managed just eight goals in all competitions.
Instead, Southgate opted for the likes of Cole Palmer, Jarrod Bowen, Eberechi Eze and Anthony Gordon, who have a combined total of just 19 appearances between them for the Three Lions.
Harry Kane’s backups up front, Ollie Watkins and Ivan Toney, also lack game time on the international stage and Scholes is concerned about the lack of tournament experience in England’s attacking areas.
“If I try to make up my mind about this England team, whether I love it or hate it, I will miss out on (Harry) Maguire’s defensive experience,” the iconic former England and Manchester United midfielder said on Instagram.
‘LB (left back) is a big problem, there is a lot of experience missing in mf (midfield), but (Declan) Rice is good enough to bring everyone together.
“Worried about the forward line, obviously I love (Phil) Foden/(Harry) Kane/(Bukayo) Saka… I honestly think not having the major tournament knowledge of Rashford and Grealish to back me up (been there and done that) I’ve done) it’s a big mistake!!’
Southgate admitted it was a “difficult decision” to embark on a “different route” away from Tottenham’s Grealish and James Maddison, who were initially selected before being dropped from the squad.
“We are lucky to have options in the attacking areas, and they all offer something slightly different,” the England manager told reporters as he explained his final 26-man squad.
“Madders and Jack also bring something different to us, so they are difficult decisions.”
‘We’ve gone over it over and over again as a staff to try to be fair. We stand behind our decisions, but recognize that we could have taken a different path. “Both guys are great characters and great to work with.”
The omission of Rashford seemed a little easier, with Southgate opting for players who he felt had enjoyed “better seasons” than the United attacker.
He explained: “These are of course difficult decisions, you are talking about players who are very good players and who have been an important part of what we have done for a number of years.”
“With Marcus I feel like other players in that area of the pitch have had better seasons, it’s as simple as that.”
The Three Lions open their Euro 2024 campaign against Serbia on Sunday and questions remain over the selection of Southgate’s team just days before the Group C contest.
Bukayo Saka is expected to be available after recovering from a minor injury, while John Stones missed Wednesday’s training through illness and is a doubt for the clash.
Luke Shaw will not be considered for a starting role in Gelsenkirchen as the Manchester United left-back is returning to full fitness after a muscle problem.
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