Euro 2020: Which Reds will be involved?

Thursday 03 June 2021 16:25

Euro 2020 is set to finally get underway next month, a year after the tournament should have originally been played.

The COVID-19 pandemic put paid to holding the Championships in their intended slot, but all 24 teams are now ready to face off in the pan-continental competition, held across 11 venues – from Baku to Budapest and Saint Petersburg to Seville.

Turkey and Italy kick things off in Rome on 11 June and with little time to prepare after the end of the domestic season, managers have already begun to name their squads.

Here’s our guide to the Reds who have been selected so far…

Portugal are the defending champions.

ENGLAND

Gareth Southgate initially picked six Reds in his provisional England men’s squad for a forthcoming training camp in Middlesbrough, but Mason Greenwood has withdrawn to focus on recovering fully from an underlying injury.

Four Reds have been named in the final Three Lions' 26-man group for the tournament - Dean Henderson, Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw and Marcus Rashford will all be involved, but unfortunately Jesse Lingard misses out.

FRANCE

Midfielder Paul Pogba will represent Les Bleus at his fourth international tournament, as Didier Deschamps’s side aim to emulate the generation of Zidane and Henry by adding the continental crown to their World Cup success. They’re in a tough-looking Group F, alongside Germany, Hungary and Portugal.

Anthony Martial has missed out on the 26-man squad as he continues his recovery from a knee injury, but there's plenty of Premier League representation otherwise, including Chelsea trio Kurt Zouma, N'Golo Kante and Olivier Giroud.

NETHERLANDS

Boss Frank de Boer has named his final 26-man squad for the tournament, which contains Reds midfielder Donny van de Beek. The former Ajax man has netted three times in his last six appearances for the Oranje, and is joined in the reckoning by five fellow Premier League players, including Liverpool’s Georginio Wijnaldum, although Virgil van Dijk is absent through injury for the Dutch, who will play Austria, North Macedonia and Ukraine in the groups.

PORTUGAL

United talisman and Player of the Year Bruno Fernandes is set to play a key role as Portugal aim to emulate Spain and retain their European Championship title. Our no.18 is one of nine England-based players, while former Red Cristiano Ronaldo - involved in his ninth major international summer tournament - continues his quest to become the men's record international scorer.

Van de Beek could play in the Netherlands' first tournament since 2014.

SCOTLAND

Scott McTominay is one of 26 players included in Scotland’s first international tournament squad since 1998. Our midfield man played an integral part as Steve Clarke’s side came through the Nations League play-offs by beating Serbia on penalties in Belgrade, and he could come up against several team-mates as Scotland are in Group D, alongside England. Croatia and Czech Republic round out the group.

SPAIN

Luis Enrique has announced a squad of 24 for the finals, which includes David De Gea, who will battle it out for the goalkeeping spot alongside Unai Simon and Brighton's Robert Sanchez. The big talking point is the lack of any Real Madrid players, with captain and defensive stalwart Sergio Ramos out after his recent struggles with injury.

McTominay celebrates as Scotland qualify for their first major tournament in 23 years.

SWEDEN

It’s a sixth consecutive European Championships for the Scandinavians, who have selected a final squad that blends youth with experience. With 40 caps to his name, Victor Lindelof trends towards the latter and should be one of the first names on the teamsheet as the Swedes look to get past Poland, Slovakia and Spain.

Former Reds striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic surprisingly returned to the international scene in March, five years after retiring, but will miss the Euros due to a knee problem.

WALES

Daniel James and Dylan Levitt have both been included in Wales' final 26-man squad for the tournament. The 2016 semi-finalists are in a group with Italy, Turkey and Switzerland and will face the latter nation first, in Baku, on Saturday 12 June.

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