Southgate leaves more questions than answers with provisional England squad

Gareth Southgate has left us with more questions than answers after naming his provisional England squad for the Euros.

Southgate has announced 33 names and few surprises as he considers who will give him the best chance of conquering Europe this summer.

People might argue the inclusion of the likes of uncapped trio Aaron Ramsdale, Ben Godfrey and Ben White is a shock, but let's not kid ourselves.

Southgate doesn't have to confirm his final 26-man squad to UEFA until June 1 – and all three will not make the cut unless there are injuries to senior stars between now and then.

Who the other three to be culled are is less than certain.

Trent Alexander-Arnold will be delighted to be recalled, but his happiness might well be short-lived.

With Kyle Walker and Kieran Trippier nailed on to be part of the tournament and Southgate remaining a huge fan of Reece James, the Liverpool ace knows he still has a lot to prove and little time in which to do it.

Elsewhere, will Jordan Henderson and Harry Maguire prove their fitness, is Ollie Watkins good enough at this level and does Southgate trust the recalled Mason Greenwood enough to take him to a major tournament?

We knew the squad that was coming, but Southgate has still been brave and bold.

He is right to leave out James Maddison and Eric Dier, just as he is right to include precocious talents like Greenwood, Jack Grealish, Jude Bellingham and Bukayo Saka.

That's the easy bit though.

Whittling down the numbers and then picking the right ones to give England the best chance of winning something for a change – that's the hard bit.

It promises to be a long and bumpy road, because the challenges facing Southgate have only just begun.

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