Harry Kane believes there is enough experience within England's ranks to triumph at Euro 2024 despite more than half of Gareth Southgate's squad yet to play in a major tournament for their country.
The Three Lions travel to Germany this week ahead of their Group C opener against Serbia in Gelsenkirchen on June 16, without a plethora of seasoned internationals that have played a key role in the side in recent years.
Manchester United's Harry Maguire, who has 63 caps and has featured in the last three tournaments for England, was omitted from the 26-man squad having failed to recover from an injury.
The likes of Jack Grealish, Marcus Rashford and James Maddison also missed out, with Southgate opting for form over experience, as Kobbie Mainoo, Adam Wharton and Anthony Gordon were some of the names included in the final group.
England captain Kane, who will lead his country out for a third major tournament in Germany, believes there is more than enough experience available to end their 58-year wait for an international trophy, insisting that every player included in the squad has earned the right to be there.
"I think we have more than enough experience," Kane said. "Especially a lot of players who have played in two or three tournaments. There are always going to be new players, players who deserve to be here.
"For the boys who missed out ... It is sad to see them go but ultimately that is what you get playing for England. The manager has to take tough decisions.
"Everyone has earned the right to be here. That is what we have said. Everyone brings something different to the team and we are going to need all 26 players if we are going to be successful."
The 30-year-old struggled with a back injury towards the end of the season but returned to play in England's 3-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina, scoring his 63rd goal for his country in the process, before playing just over an hour in the 1-0 defeat to Iceland at Wembley on Friday.
"I am all good," Kane said of his fitness. "The plan was for me to play 60 minutes against Iceland. It has been a really good camp for me personally in that sense.
"Getting a good week of training, 30 minutes (against Bosnia and Herzegovina), a few more days of training, then 60 minutes. I feel really prepared and in a good place."
'Playing for England is the Mecca' according to Itoje amid global breakaway talk
Maro Itoje has reaffirmed his commitment to England amid talks of a proposed global breakaway league.
Steve Borthwick’s side are looking to end their five-match losing run when they face Japan in their final match of the autumn series on Sunday.
But there is fear that Borthwick could lose many of his players to the new league that reportedly are offering 40 £1m-a-season contracts for marquee players and more periods of rests for the players.
The Rugby Football Union (RFU) only select players for the national team from English clubs, meaning any player joining the breakaway league would jeopardise their Test career.
But Itoje has insisted that playing for England is the pinnacle for him and his teammates.
"I don't really know any of the details of it as yet, but wearing this rose is extremely important to me and my teammates," said Itoje.
"Playing for England is the Mecca."
Windies captain Powell takes mixed bag from England series as Bangladesh assignment approaches
West Indies captain Rovman Powell was candid in his assessment of his team’s shortcomings following their 3-1 series loss to England in the recently concluded five-match T20 International series.
Powell acknowledged the challenges the team faced in adapting to conditions early in the series but remained optimistic about their upcoming clashes with Bangladesh. This, as he believes, the Caribbean side once again showed glimpses of its potential throughout the series but were unable to consistently produce a complete performance.
In fact, England’s decision to bowl first in the opening three matches—two at Kensington Oval in Barbados and one at the Darren Sammy Stadium in St Lucia—exposed the West Indies' struggles to navigate challenging conditions.
They lost key wickets in quick succession during the powerplay in all three games, where they posted scores of 182-9, 158-8, and 145-8 and lost by eight wickets, seven wickets, and three wickets in that order.
As such, Powell admitted the team’s inability to adapt cost them dearly.
“I think we always, as a batting group, have a template that we try to work with; unfortunately, the template didn’t work in our first few games. It took us about two or three games to really wonder what’s really happening to us as a batting group, and we also need to sharpen up on a few areas as a bowling group,” Powell said after the rain-affected final game at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground.
While he views their victory in the fourth T20I when they pulled off a historic chase of England’s 218-5, scoring 221-5 to secure a five-wicket win as light at the end of the proverbial tunnel, that win was merely to salvage some pride.
It is with that in mind that Powell highlighted the importance of quicker assessment and adaptability as key takeaways from the series.
“As a team, we need to assess a little bit faster. We didn’t play good cricket for long enough periods, and that made it a tough series. I think a lot of credit has to be given to Jos [Buttler] and his team; they really came in our conditions and dominated,” the Jamaican stated.
Despite the loss, Powell, who was among the standout performers, finishing as the series’ second-highest run scorer with 153 runs, is determined to build on the positives from the England series as they shift focus to the upcoming three-match T20I series against Bangladesh next month.
“The way we played the last (fourth game) showed that we can play really good cricket. If we had just assessed the conditions a little bit earlier in the series, it possibly would have been a different outcome. These are lessons to be learned,” Powell noted.
Hemp ruled out of England squad after knee surgery
Lauren Hemp has been ruled out of England's upcoming friendlies after Manchester City confirmed the forward had surgery on a knee injury.
Hemp has missed City's last two matches, including their 2-0 defeat to Chelsea in the Women's Super League on Saturday.
Sarina Wiegman confirmed the surgery was not related to an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury, and the club have also not confirmed how long she will be out.
The 24-year-old recently became the youngest player in WSL history to reach 50 goals and also leads the way for assists (five) and chances created (26) in the competition this season.
Overall this term, she has scored two goals and registered seven assists in all competitions, including setting up three goals in City's 4-0 win over Tottenham, her last appearance.
Manchester United's Ella Toone is also unavailable to Wiegman this international break due to a calf injury.
Her absence in their victory over Leicester City on Sunday ended a run of 96 consecutive league starts.
Niamh Charles, Lauren James and Lucy Parker are also out through injury, with the Chelsea pair having failed to recover from problems that kept them out of the previous international break.
It means there are first international call-ups for Laura Blindkilde Brown and Ruby Mace, while Gabby George is named for the first time since November 2022.
England take on the United States at Wembley on November 30 in the first of their two friendlies, before facing Switzerland three days later.
England squad in full:
Mary Earps (Paris Saint-Germain), Hannah Hampton (Chelsea), Anna Moorhouse (Orlando Pride), Mille Bright (Chelsea), Lucy Bronze (Chelsea), Jess Carter (Gotham), Gabby George (Manchester United), Alex Greenwood (Manchester City), Maya le Tissier (Manchester United), Esme Morgan (Washington Spirit), Millie Turner (Manchester United), Leah Williamson (Arsenal), Laura Blindkilde Brown (Manchester City), Grace Clinton (Manchester United), Fran Kirby (Brighton), Jess Park (Manchester City), Georgia Stanway (Bayern Munich), Keira Walsh (Barcelona), Ruby Mace (Leicester City), Aggie Beever-Jones (Chelsea), Chloe Kelly (Manchester City), Beth Mead (Arsenal), Jess Naz (Tottenham), Alessia Russo (Arsenal)
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