Rashford, who played with Matic at Manchester United, was excluded from England’s provisional squad, while Grealish was dropped from the final 26-man team. Matic welcomed this news ahead of Serbia’s match against England in Group C.
England is in Group C alongside Slovenia, Denmark, and Serbia for the European Championships. They will face Serbia on Sunday, June 16, in their opening game.
Southgate’s team is among the favourites to win the tournament. However, Matic shared the relief among Serbians about the absence of Rashford and Grealish. He posted on X (formerly Twitter):
“I would always like to have players like Marcus Rashford and Jack Grealish in the team, players who can decide the game with one move! Not selected/good news for us.”
Rashford, 26, had a difficult season, scoring eight goals and providing five assists in 43 games. Despite his struggles, he was a key player for England at the 2022 World Cup and this is the first major tournament he has missed since the 2018 World Cup.
Grealish, 28, also had an inconsistent season with Manchester City, scoring three goals and assisting three in 36 games. He performed well in a friendly against Bosnia and Herzegovina but did not make the final squad.
In addition to Rashford and Grealish, James Maddison, Curtis Jones, Jarell Quansah, James Trafford, Jarrad Branthwaite, and the injured Harry Maguire were also left out.
Despite these omissions, England’s squad still includes strong attackers like Jarrod Bowen, Eberechi Eze, Phil Foden, Anthony Gordon, Harry Kane, Cole Palmer, Bukayo Saka, Ivan Toney, and Ollie Watkins.
Source:
Nemanja Matic Twitter
