Gareth Southgate has confirmed his final 23-man squad for next month’s UEFA Nations League Finals.
The list was submitted on Monday evening in-line with UEFA’s deadline as the Three Lions continue their preparations at St. George’s Park.
Tottenham Hotspur duo Kieran Trippier and Harry Winks and Southampton pair James Ward-Prowse and Nathan Redmond miss out from the original 27-man long squad. However, Ward-Prowse and Redmond will remain in training with the rest of the group for the time being.
The remainder of Manchester City players plus Jadon Sancho reported to St. George’s Park on Monday morning with those competing in the UEFA Europa League and UEFA Champions League finals due to meet up next week.
The England manager said: “We have got exciting players and picking a squad is really difficult because we have lots of depth of talent, not only the squad we have picked but the U21s as well.
“There's been some difficult decisions to make and we are obviously a little bit complicated with so many players involved in the Champions League as well but we are really excited by the squad and the players that are around it.
“It's similar to the preparation for the World Cup because people arrived at different times depending on whether they were finished at the end of the league season, played in the FA Cup or played in the Champions League. It was the same last year so we have got used to working with the group in that way.
“And what is nice is you get another burst of energy as each group arrives - so today [Monday], Raheem, Kyle Walker, John Stones and Jadon in for the first time. Again, the training shifts up another level and everybody is excited to be back together and we will get that again next week when the rest of the team report as well.”
Explaining the difficult decisions he had to make, he said: “Some players who have had really good finishes to the season like James Ward-Prowse and Nathan Redmond are staying with us for this period to train because although we have cut the squad to 23, we have still got two weeks to get through and two really big finals ahead. So some of those calls are even more difficult.
“Harry Winks is a player we really like and that’s a tough one because he's not played for a couple of months and we don’t get to see him in training. He is back training with Spurs, he might be involved at the weekend but we wouldn’t see him until two days before the game.
"So when we had other midfielders who are either with us or who are playing regularly, that was the only thinking behind that decision. Harry could still come into that mix and has done very well for us whenever he has played with England, so is a player we like.
“Of course, Kieran Trippier has had such a big impact, he had such a brilliant World Cup. He has been a really valuable member of our squad and has a great attitude with us, real passion in playing for England but Trent and Kyle have finished the season so strongly. So it is a position where we have got real competition for places. That is as hard a decision as we have had to make."
England face the Netherlands in Guimarães on Thursday 6 June (7.45pm kick-off) before facing one of Portugal or Switzerland in either a final or third place play-off on Sunday 9 June.
The Squad
1. Jordan Pickford
2. Kyle Walker
3. Danny Rose
4. Eric Dier
5. John Stones
6. Harry Maguire
7. Jesse Lingard
8. Jordan Henderson
9. Harry Kane
10. Raheem Sterling
11. Jadon Sancho
12. Joe Gomez
13. Jack Butland
14. Ben Chilwell
15. Michael Keane
16. Declan Rice
17. Fabian Delph
18. Ross Barkley
19. Marcus Rashford
20. Dele Alli
21. Callum Wilson
22. Trent Alexander-Arnold
23. Tom Heaton
