England players hope to compete next year European Championship Germany’s players will have to ensure their fitness is up to the required level, coach Gareth Southgate said, as UEFA reduced the permitted squad size to 23 players.
Team sizes were increased from 23 to 26 in the previous edition of the Euro to mitigate the risk of teams facing a shortage of players available for certain matches due to potential coronavirus (COVID-19) cases and quarantine measures.
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At Euro 2020, Harry Maguire and Jordan Henderson were included in the England squad while still recovering from injuries, while at last year’s World Cup, Kyle Walker, James Maddison and Kalvin Phillips were included despite suffering similar issues.
“We can bet a lot less than we were able to do in the last two tournaments where we were 26,” Southgate told reporters before facing North Macedonia in the Euro 2024 qualifiers.
“The size of the squad makes it a different kind of thought process because you had the discretion in the last two tournaments to bring in players who wouldn’t be fit for the first two games.
“This time the physical preparation of the players will be really important. The ability of the players to play six or seven games… If you can only play two games in each position, players who can adapt will be useful.”
Meanwhile, England have confirmed that defender Kieran Trippier has left the team’s training camp for a personal matter and will not travel with the rest of the squad ahead of their match against North Macedonia in Skopje on Monday.
Coach Southgate’s team, which has already qualified for the 2024 European Championship, leads Group C with 19 points from seven matches.
