Laura Woods has expressed her surprise at Gareth Southgate's decision to leave James Maddison and Jack Grealish out of England's 26-man squad for Euro 2024. The Three Lions boss trimmed his initial 33-man provisional squad, also omitting injured Harry Maguire.
Woods, speaking to BetMGM, said: 'I was pretty shocked he didn't pick James Maddison and Jack Grealish. I think I'd feel more confident with those players in the squad, even if they hadn't been playing, just because they are the types of players you want in an England squad.'
Maddison, 27, had an inconsistent season with Tottenham, scoring four goals and providing nine assists. He responded to his omission on social media, writing: 'Devastated doesn't quite cut it... my form for Spurs when coming back from injury in the second half of the season probably wasn't at the levels I had set.'
Woods noted that other teams are reportedly pleased with the omissions, adding: 'If the other sides are saying that then it does seem a real shame they haven't been included. This is still an incredibly talented group, though, and one we need to get behind.'
