The Euro 2024 culling has begun for Gareth Southgate, who is understood to have omitted Tottenham Hotspur playmaker James Maddison from his final 26-man selection.
The ex-Leicester City playmaker hit the ground running upon his return to Premier League action with the Lilywhites, but after a severe ankle injury over the winter period, he failed to revert to his previous impressive ways.
Maddison was brought off the bench for the second half of Monday's 3-0 friendly win over Bosnia-Herzegovina and put in a good shift - creating three chances and winning four of his three ground duels - albeit while failing to sort his feet out when presented with a gilt-edged chance in front of goal.
However, at least six more members of Southgate's 33-man preliminary squad will share Maddison's fate, and even though England have one final friendly pencilled in for Friday against Iceland, UEFA must receive their final squad by midnight on the same day, so some players' efforts at Wembley will be futile.
Here, Sports Mole looks at the six likeliest contenders to join Maddison in failing to make England's final squad for Euro 2024.
James Trafford - Burnley
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The decision to call Burnley stopper James Trafford up to his training squad earned Southgate a few raised eyebrows, as Rangers' Jack Butland had seemingly put himself in the frame for a Three Lions renaissance owing to his brilliant exploits in Scotland.
In contrast, Trafford conceded 62 goals in his first 28 matches of the 2023-24 Premier League season and eventually lost his starting spot to Arijanet Muric, being overlooked for the Clarets' final 10 games of a doomed top-flight campaign.
Nevertheless, the 21-year-old had built up enough national team credit by playing every minute for the Under-21s during their run to European Championship glory last year, where he incredibly kept a clean sheet in every match and even registered an assist against Germany.
Trafford has now been on the bench twice for England, firstly witnessing March's 2-2 draw with Belgium from the dugout before also observing the Bosnia victory, but he is certainly the first candidate for the chop.
Jordan Pickford remains the unchallenged number one, Aaron Ramsdale is still the undisputed number two, and Dean Henderson's form with Crystal Palace more than justifies his selection too, so Trafford will be kept waiting for a major tournament bow.
Jarell Quansah - Liverpool
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Sticking with the theme of uncapped players, Liverpool's Jarell Quansah did not come into consideration for his senior England debut at St James' Park, which is less than can be said for his Merseyside counterpart and Everton star Jarrad Branthwaite.
Some questioned the wisdom of calling up the 21-year-old in the first place, especially with AC Milan's Fikayo Tomori being overlooked again, and one can assume that a fit Ben Chilwell or eager Ben White would have been selected over him had they been available.
However, Quansah more than earned his stars under Jurgen Klopp in the German's final Liverpool campaign, registering three goals and three assists in 33 games and even consigning Ibrahima Konate to a bench role in the closing stages of the season.
Konate - expected to be a regular starter for France at Euro 2024 - did not start any of Liverpool's last four games of 2023-24 thanks to the form of Quansah, who even scored in back-to-back matches against Aston Villa and Wolverhampton Wanderers.
The 21-year-old finds himself behind Branthwaite, Joe Gomez, John Stones, Lewis Dunk, Marc Guehi, Ezri Konsa and Harry Maguire in the defenders' pecking order, though, and he may have to rely on the latter's injury being more serious than first thought to avoid the axe.
Luke Shaw - Manchester United
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Three years on from sending the country into unrestrained pandemonium with his back-post volley against Italy in the Euro 2020 final, Manchester United's Luke Shaw is at serious risk of being one of the seven cut from the ranks for this summer's competition.
Ever since his distressing leg break in 2015, the former Southampton man has been plagued by perpetual injury problems and only managed 15 appearances for the Red Devils in all tournaments last season due to a pair of severe muscular problems.
Shaw's latest issue has kept him in the treatment room since March, and it has been almost exactly 12 months since the 28-year-old was last seen in an England shirt, starting June's 7-0 qualifying win over North Macedonia before his muscles repeatedly failed him.
While hailing him as the best left-back on the planet, Erik ten Hag conceded that Shaw would never be able to play 60 games a season on account of his earlier leg injury, and Southgate admitted that the defender would be a "long shot" for the Euros after naming his preliminary squad.
However, Shaw has been making great strides in his recovery and is now back on the training pitches, but as Gomez, Kieran Trippier and Konsa can all fill in on Shaw's side, Southgate may take a risk and go without a recognised left-back for Euro 2024 if the Manchester United man is not deemed 100% ready.
Curtis Jones - Liverpool
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As was the case with his Reds teammate Quansah, Curtis Jones was also snubbed by Southgate for a senior debut in the three-goal Bosnia victory, and the midfielder is another player who failed to stay fit for the entirety of 2023-24.
Indeed, thigh and ankle problems bedevilled Jones, but the 21-year-old still managed five goals and three assists from 36 matches in Klopp's farewell campaign after also making himself an Under-21s hero for his country.
Another regular in Lee Carsley's setup last year, Jones scored the only goal as England defeated Spain 1-0 in the final and could be an intriguing option off the bench in the latter stages of matches given his penchant for driving runs and carrying the ball forward.
However, England boss Southgate has already witnessed Declan Rice excel in such a position for Arsenal in the 2023-24 season, while Conor Gallagher and Kobbie Mainoo also bring bags of energy to the engine room.
Furthermore, with Jude Bellingham's position in the number 10 slot under no threat whatsoever, Jones appears to be a certainty for the chop, but he should not be the only youthful midfielder to be cut from the final selection.
Adam Wharton - Crystal Palace
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Few could argue against Adam Wharton's selection for Southgate's 33-man training group on account of his exceptional start to life at Crystal Palace, who fended off intense competition to poach him from Blackburn Rovers over the winter.
Immediately showcasing his quality as a tenacious defensive midfielder, Wharton was deemed ready for his senior England debut against Bosnia and earned plaudits for his display in a 30-minute cameo, where the statistics backed up the praise.
Remarkably composed on the ball, Wharton completed 100% of his 37 passes, while also creating two chances and providing one accurate cross in a highly promising England baptism, making it easy to forget that he is still just 20 years old.
Players of Wharton's profile have been hard for Southgate to come by, especially with Kalvin Phillips and Jordan Henderson rightfully being axed, raising hopes that the 2004-born midfielder could be on the plane to Germany.
However, Rice can of course slot seamlessly back into the number six role, while Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold appears to be a midfield shoo-in thanks to his brilliant work against Bosnia, so Wharton can - perhaps controversially - expect to be told that his major tournament bow will have to wait.
Jack Grealish - Manchester City
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Yes, Jack Grealish has the major tournament experience and has been a trusted performer for Southgate in the past, but at a time when Marcus Rashford was omitted based on his domestic performance in 2023-24, calling up the Manchester City man was a bold move indeed.
Managing just three goals and three assists for the Premier League champions last term, Grealish was a regular starter in the Champions League, but he featured from the off in just 10 Premier League games and was also an unused substitute in the FA Cup final loss to Manchester United.
The £100m winger cut his summer holiday short in a desperate bid to prove his worth to Southgate, who refused to offer him any assurances ahead of the Bosnia friendly, suggesting that his Euro 2024 spot could be in some doubt.
A couple of saving graces have come Grealish's way since, though, as thanks to Anthony Gordon's ankle issue, the former came off the bench against Bosnia and provided a delicate cross for Alexander-Arnold to thump home England's second of the evening.
However, Gordon - who significantly out-performed Grealish in the regular season - has a good chance of being involved against Iceland, while Eberechi Eze sparkled in the first half of the Bosnia win, which was otherwise a drab 45.
As such, a three-way battle to avoid the cull seems set to materialise between Grealish, Eze and Gordon, but the latter two certainly warrant spots on the plane if the past few months are anything to go by, while the same cannot be said for Grealish.
