With Manchester City star Jack Grealish being cut from England's squad for the upcoming 2024 UEFA European Championship, here is a look at some other big-name players who were also left out of the tournament.
On Thursday, England boss Gareth Southgate trimmed his 33-man provisional squad down to 26 players, leaving no space for Grealish on the flight to host nation Germany. That decision has been widely perceived as a huge surprise, with the Three Lions boss instead opting to take the less experienced pair of Anthony Gordon and Jarrod Bowen.
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Grealish has thus joined a list of high-profile names who will not be representing their national teams at EURO 2024.
Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid) - Belgium
The Real Madrid goalkeeper was a notable absentee in Belgium's final squad for the upcoming showpiece, but his exclusion did not leave many shocked given that he is known to have a strained relationship with latest national team boss Domenico Tedesco. Things began to unravel between them in June 2023, when Courtois was not selected as captain for the Red Devils' friendlies against Austria and Estonia. The tension has since grown and it would later be compounded by the goalkeeper's decision to publicly criticise his manager, suggesting he was a "liar" when he spoke of him in March this year.
Talking to the media almost three months ago, Tedesco said, according to Football Transfers: "It's good that Courtois is fit again, but he communicated very clearly. We are focusing on the players who are here. We plan our preparation based on his statements. I tried everything to take him to the European Championship this summer, but the last thing I heard was that he didn't feel ready to go. It was clear and honest on his part."
Christopher Nkunku (Chelsea) - France
There was no place for Nkunku in the France squad despite being fit, with his recurring injuries at Chelsea said to have played a big part in the decision to leave him behind. The 26-year-old only played 516 minutes of football for the Blues last season, in a campaign blighted by four separate injuries that saw him sidelined for 242 days, according to Transfermarkt. Nkunku has only made 10 appearances for Les Bleus to date, with his last outing coming against Denmark almost exactly a year ago. An injury also saw him miss out on the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Joshua Zirkzee (Bologna) - Netherlands
The Dutch striker was instrumental in his side Bologna's historic qualification for the 2042/25 Champions League, contributing with 12 goals and seven assists in 37 matches in all competitions. Despite the 23-year-old's productive season, though, he was snubbed by Netherlands boss Ronald Koeman, who opted to pick Donyell Malen, Memphis Depay, Wout Weghorst, Brian Brobbey, Steven Bergwijn, and Cody Gakpo as his forwards instead for the EUROs. Zirkzee will now have to wait longer to make his debut for his country, despite being one of the most coveted strikers in Serie A after last season.
Mats Hummels (Borussia Dortmund) - Germany
The veteran defender did not make the cut for the EURO 2024 hosts, despite helping Borussia Dortmund to a runners-up finish in the Champions League. Aged 35, Hummels was also named in the UCL team of the season, but his fate had long been decided by Die Mannschaft coach Julian Nagelsmann. Reports in Germany suggest that Hummels is viewed by the coach as a character who tends to be disruptive due to his outspoken nature. Reacting to his omission in late May, the defender told Bild Sport: "It's bitter for me as an individual because I'm currently one of the five best defenders in Germany. I have the self-confidence to say that."
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