England Euro 2020 squad: Who’s on the bus, who’s in contention and who could miss out?

Who will make up Gareth Southgate’s final squad?

Who will make up Gareth Southgate’s final England squad for Euro 2020? (Getty Images / The Independent)

Gareth Southgate will announce his final 26-man England squad for the rearranged Euro 2020 on 1 June.

England will play Croatia, Scotland and the Czech Republic in Group D at the Euros. All three of their games will be held at Wembley, as will the semi-finals and final.

England will play friendlies against Austria and Romania at Middlesbrough’s Riverside Stadium ahead of the competition.

Southgate selected a 33-man provisional squad last week, with several surprising choices part of a young and perhaps inexperienced selection.

Who will be on the team bus travelling from St George’s Park to Wembley? Who can be confident of a place, who is on the fringes and who is in danger of being cut?

Here, The Independent runs the rule over the contenders...

On the bus

Harry Kane

England’s captain and most accomplished goalscorer at international level, Kane is not only top of the Premier League’s scoring charts but has registered the most assists too. Only injury can prevent him from a place in the squad.

Harry Maguire

England’s best centre-back by a distance. A knee ligament injury is a worry but, even if he needs time, Southgate will surely risk him. Interestingly, the England manager admitted he does not know much about the severity yet.

Jordan Henderson

Henderson underwent groin surgery in February and has not played for Liverpool since. Effectively England’s vice captain, Southgate is optimistic about his fitness and will give him every chance to prove he is ready.

Raheem Sterling

Sterling has fallen out of favour at Manchester City after a profligate season in front of goal. Even so, he remains one of England’s most important players and his place in the final squad has never come into doubt.

Manchester City and England midfielder Phil Foden (Getty Images / The Independent)

Marcus Rashford

Has spent much of the season playing through the pain barrier and not in especially good form but hard to see how he does not make the final cut. Carrying a shoulder injury which may require surgery after the tournament.

Mason Mount

Derided as a ‘teacher’s pet’ only a few months ago, Mount has silenced his critics with eye-catching performances for club and country, impressing on Chelsea’s route to the Champions League final. Southgate has never doubted his quality.

Phil Foden

The most exciting young English player of his generation. Foden’s balletic displays have essentially displaced Sterling from City’s first-choice line-up and, even with England’s abundant attacking talent, he may now be a starter for his country too.

Declan Rice

There will be great relief within the England camp that Rice has recovered from a knee injury picked up during the March internationals, returning for West Ham at the weekend. He has grown in importance for his country over the past 18 months.

Ben Chilwell

Chilwell’s place briefly looked under threat when Thomas Tuchel arrived at Stamford Bridge, with Marcos Alonso preferred at times, but he now appears to have regained his automatic starting status and is certain to earn a Euros spot.

John Stones

Stones’ mistake against Poland almost proved costly and was a reminder that for all his progress this year, he is still prone to lapses of concentration. Even so, head and shoulders above the other candidates to start alongside Maguire.

Jordan Pickford

Pickford’s starting place has been questioned and the Everton goalkeeper missed the March internationals through injury, but Nick Pope’s struggles in possession while filling in for him showed why his ability on the ball is valued highly by Southgate.

Jack Grealish

Finally back from a shin injury picked up in February, Grealish needs minutes under his belt but is at least fit again. Can be confident of a squad place though whether he starts or makes an impact off the bench is another question.

Jadon Sancho

Sancho has had issues with injuries this season and seems to have been somewhat forgotten in his home country but has powered Dortmund over the line recently. Arguably England’s most talented and well-rounded attacking player.

Kyle Walker

Facing plenty of competition at right-back but Walker has impressed as a key part of City’s mean defence. His ability to play as a right-sided centre-half in a back three puts him ahead of his rivals for a place in the squad.

Leeds and England midfielder Kalvin Phillips (Getty Images / The Independent)

Luke Shaw

Enjoying the best form of his career at United, Shaw has fought his way back into the international fold and will provide serious competition to Chilwell for the starting left-back spot.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin

Leading the race to provide cover for Kane. Calvert-Lewin’s physicality offers something different from the other alternatives and the goals are gradually starting to return at club level too after a strong start to the season.

Dean Henderson

Second-choice goalkeeper after Nick Pope’s enforced absence. Whether or not he is Manchester United’s No 1 is to be decided and late-season stumbles may have cost him a chance to oust Pickford for his country.

On the fringes

Conor Coady

Took the captain’s armband after Sterling’s substitution against San Marino, the second time he has worn it in just four caps. Another who can feel relatively confident given the lack of depth in his position.

Tyrone Mings

Despite only winning his first cap last season at 26-years-old, Mings is a player Southgate trusts. His left-footedness is no small part of his appeal as a centre-half and could be key if England play three at the back against elite opponents.

Kieran Trippier

One of the senior players among the group and impressive for Atletico Madrid this season but faces a lot of competition in his position. Only played one half of the three March games, coming on as a substitute against San Marino.

Reece James

Picked ahead of Alexander-Arnold last time around and highly thought of within the England set-up but facing stiff competition for a place in his position. Ability to play in midfield or as a right-sided centre-back stands in his favour.

England full-back Trent Alexander-Arnold (Getty Images / The Independent)

Trent Alexander-Arnold

Dropped for the March games but has responded brilliantly during Liverpool’s push to finish in the top four. Offers more creativity in possession than any of his rivals at right-back but his defensive limitations have come under the spotlight.

Kalvin Phillips

Started all three of the March internationals, which suggested that he is a key part of Southgate’s vision for the summer. May lose out on a regular spot in the line-up if Henderson recovers in time and picked up a shoulder injury on the final day of the season.

Jesse Lingard

Has the J-Lingz renaissance come too late? Possibly not. Lingard played in all three March games, having been a trusted regular at the last World Cup. His work rate off-the-ball is something Southgate wants to see from his attacking players.

Bukayo Saka

Southgate is a huge fan. Played no part in March due to injury but was kept around the squad anyway. Impressed in the autumn and his ability to play anywhere down the left is an asset, though his lack of a defined role also makes him ever so slightly expendable.

Jude Bellingham

Forced everyone back at home to sit up and take notice with his performances in the Champions League. Not 18 until next month, Bellingham may already be England’s most well-rounded option in midfield. Lack of depth there makes him hard to overlook.

James Ward-Prowse

With Southgate since his stint in the Under-21s, the dependable Ward-Prowse’s set-piece ability offers something genuinely unique. May ultimately miss out to bigger names but he has his manager’s trust.

Hoping to impress

Mason Greenwood

Greenwood has rediscovered form with United after a difficult first half of the campaign but has not been involved with England at senior level since being sent home with Foden from the trip to Iceland. May benefit from the squad expansion.

Ollie Watkins

A surprise recent call-up but Watkins scored on debut and has adapted well to the Premier League. Finishing has been an issue at times, though, and a lack of international experience may count against him when it comes to the final squad.

Ben Godfrey

A surprise inclusion for some but arguably Everton’s player of the season. A balanced all-rounder who is notoriously difficult to beat on the dribble and has the speed to cover in a back three. Lack of centre-back options helps his cause.

Ben White

Highly-rated Brighton centre-back who Southgate has tracked since his impressive loan spell at Leeds. Likely to have been called up for training experience but may push his way into the final squad if others are absent.

Aaron Ramsdale

Uncapped goalkeeper drafted in after a difficult year with relegated Sheffield United. Likely to be the one of the four who misses out on the final squad but even if that is the case, he will gain useful experience from the training camp.

Left out

Eric Dier

Included in the March squad but did not play, not even being named on the bench against Albania. Of all those to join up for the most recent camp, Dier’s position felt the most precarious and so it proved to be.

Patrick Bamford

Is Bamford’s goalscoring just a product of Marcelo Bielsa’s style and system? Can it be replicated in an England shirt? Those questions will have to wait until the autumn after the Leeds striker was once again overlooked.

Michael Keane

Keane has carried his form through to the second-half of the season but is not always comfortable playing in a high line and the writing was on the wall after he was left out of the March squad despite being fit and available.

Danny Ings

Injuries put paid to Ings’ chances of a call-up, despite him recovering and returning for Southampton. Stood a better chance last year before the tournament’s postponement when he was in excellent form.

James Maddison

Injury and indiscipline have undermined Maddison’s international career, which has never quite got off the ground. His form over the course of the season has not quite hit the heights of the rivals in his position either.

Tammy Abraham

Abraham was rivalling Kane for a starting spot last season but has completely fallen out of favour since Tuchel’s arrival at Chelsea. Needs to find regular first team football before an England recall can be considered.

Callum Hudson-Odoi

A regular in the early days of Tuchel’s Chelsea reign, Hudson-Odoi has since returned to a bit-part role. Inclusion in the Under-21 squad in March indicated that he has more to do to earn a senior international recall.

Harry Winks

Started the season as an ever-present in Southgate’s squads but lost his place at Tottenham and has fallen behind the likes of Phillips and Ward-Prowse. Though playing again under Ryan Mason, an international return appears unlikely for now.

Ross Barkley

A squad regular and a starter under Southgate during the qualifying campaign, a combination of injury and poor form while on loan at Aston Villa have seen Barkley fall back down the pecking order.

Ainsley Maitland-Niles

Called up as a utility man during the autumn and did not let Southgate down in that respect, but the squad expansion means such players are not particularly needed anymore and a finals place always looked unlikely.

Callum Wilson

No sooner had Wilson recovered from injury and he was back on the treatment table. Despite respectable scoring figures at Newcastle this season, a place in the final squad was always going to be far too much of a gamble.

Fikayo Tomori

Performances at Milan on loan have won admirers in Italy and Southgate has been watching but went for other options. Aggressive style of defending perhaps not suited, given the England manager’s preference for more traditional centre-halves.

Ezri Konsa

Caught Southgate’s eye alongside Mings in the Villa defence which started the season strongly but has since regressed. Konsa’s faint hopes of a finals place probably went when he was overlooked in March.

Dele Alli

Back in the Tottenham side under Mason but lost his England place long before his club exile began. Still highly thought of but will need to rediscover his form of three or four years ago in order to return.

Tottenham and England midfielder Harry Winks (Getty Images / The Independent)

Aaron Wan-Bissaka

Still uncapped. An excellent one-on-one defender but limited in possession and vulnerable to far-post crosses. Competition at right back means he could opt to switch allegiances and represent DR Congo.

Aaron Cresswell

Arguably the best left-back in the Premier League this season behind Shaw but has not been considered by Southgate for a few years now, last appearing in a World Cup qualifier against Lithuania.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

Denied a place in the World Cup squad by injury three years ago, Oxlade-Chamberlain simply has not played enough this season to make an impact for Liverpool or revive his international career.

Ruled out

Joe Gomez

Suffered a knee injury during the November camp which ruled him out for the remainder of the campaign. Will be missed given the lack of convincing options behind Maguire and Stones at centre-back.

Harvey Barnes

Called up for the first time in November and was in promising form until suffering a knee injury in February which required surgery, ruling him out of contention for a place in the final squad.

The Independent’s predicted Euro 2020 squad

Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson, Jordan Pickford, Sam Johnstone

Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ben Chilwell, Conor Coady, Reece James, Harry Maguire, Tyrone Mings, Luke Shaw, John Stones, Kieran Trippier, Kyle Walker.

Midfielders: Jude Bellingham, Jordan Henderson, Mason Mount, Declan Rice, James Ward-Prowse, Bukayo Saka.

Forwards: Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, Harry Kane, Marcus Rashford, Raheem Sterling, Jadon Sancho.