Euro 2020: 5 biggest stars dropped from the tournament
All teams participating in Euro 2020 have announced their squads and there are quite a few surprises. 24 countries will battle to make history in the tournament that was postponed last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Euro 2020 is now set to kick off on June 11.
The European championship is one of the biggest competitions in international football and it is the kind of stage that big players relish. Naturally, it is the dream of every European player to make it to their national team squad and make an impact at the Euros.
Several big names missing from Euro 2020 national team squads
Due to various reasons, we won't be seeing some of the biggest stars at Euro 2020. While Zlatan Ibrahimovic, one of the best strikers in world football, misses out due to injury, Erling Haaland won't be playing at Euro 2020 as Norway failed to qualify for the competition. Virgil van Dijk is another big player who will be unavailable through injury.
But there are other players who would have been expecting to make the cut but have failed to do so. Here, we take a look at five of the biggest stars to have been dropped from their national team squads for Euro 2020.
#5 Jesse Lingard (England)
Jesse Lingard recently signed off on a roller-coaster ride of a season. After being dropped from the starting XI at Manchester United due to poor form, Lingard became a peripheral figure at the club. The entry and subsequent impact of Bruno Fernandes made it hard for the Englishman to reclaim his spot in Solskjaer's side.
Lingard made three appearances in the first half of the season in cup competitions before being sent out on loan to West Ham. The 28-year-old went on to make the most of the opportunity presented to him. He kicked into top form and started banging in goals on a regular basis to help the Hammers secure a spot in the Europa League.
In 16 Premier League appearances for David Moyes' side, Lingard scored nine goals and provided four assists. The attacking midfielder has, however, been left out of England's 26-man squad for Euro 2020.
Southgate has chosen to go with the likes of Mason Mount, Jack Grealish and Phil Foden for Euro 2020. The Manchester United man will feel hard done after enjoying a career renaissance in the second half of the season and clawing his way back into contention for a spot in the squad.
#4 Jerome Boateng (Germany)
In March 2019, Germany national team coach Joachim Low had stated that he won't be selecting Thomas Muller, Mats Hummels and Jerome Boateng for Euro 2020. The tournament was postponed after that and Low seems to have partially retracted that statement.
We say partially because Low has decided to call Thomas Muller and Mats Hummels back. However, Jerome Boateng, who has not played international football since 2018, was unable to convince his coach to earn a call-up.
The Bayern Munich centre-back showcased good form towards the end of the season. But Mats Hummels, Antonio Rudiger, Niklas Sule and Matthias Ginter have been chosen ahead of him.