Gareth Southgate has hinted that he wants the squad limit for this summer’s Euro 2024 raised to 26 players.
The England manager’s plans for the friendly matches against Brazil and Belgium were disrupted with several key players either not available or pulling out due to injury.
UEFA had raised the squad limit from the usual 23 to 26 for Euro 2020 in an effort to manage the effects of the pandemic, a move that was subsequently adopted by FIFA for the 2022 World Cup.
UEFA had intended to return to the 23-player limit for Euro 2024, but there is a growing feeling in the sport that the physical strain on players now justifies a return to the 26-player limit.
Southgate has disclosed that the squad limit issue will be discussed at a UEFA coaches meeting in April, with the governing body having confirmed since then that the matter will indeed be debated at the summit in Germany.
‘There is one more UEFA meeting where there’s been a little bit of talk amongst some of the coaches about possibly increasing that,’ Southgate said.
Asked whether he would support the change, Southgate responded with a smile: ‘Well, given where we are now!
‘We’ve got to make the best decisions [with selection] with what we know and some of those currently are going to be medical decisions.
‘We’ve been able to get those right in the previous tournaments. We’ve been able to give people time [to recover]. But with 23 that’s definitely more difficult.’
The Three Lions boss saw Harry Kane and Bukayo Saka return to their clubs without even playing a single minute.
Harry Maguire and Kyle Walker were casualties against Brazil, while Sam Johnstone was injured in training and has since been ruled out of the tournament.
John Stones added to the injury crisis against Belgium, while Cole Palmer and Jordan Henderson remained with the squad but saw no action due to their own injury concerns.
Southgate will name his initial squad on May 21, which is two days after the Premier League season ends.
But Southgate faces the possibility of having members of the England squad competing in the Champions League, Europa League, Europa Conference League and FA Cup finals after that training squad has been named which could yet give him another headache if injuries strike again.
The final squad for Euro 2024 must be submitted to UEFA an hour after their final warm-up game against Iceland on June 7, which follows a clash with Bosnia and Herzegovina at St James’ Park on June 3.
