To get themselves ready for the European Championship this summer, England’s Luke Shaw and Harry Maguire have joined Gareth Southgate’s squad early.

Wednesday saw the beginning of the Euro 2020 runners-up’ pre-tournament training camp in County Durham, as the June 16th group opener against Serbia loomed large.

 

Only six players from Southgate’s extensive roster were not present at England’s training camp at Rockliffe Park in Middlesbrough, where Shaw and Maguire have reported.

On Saturday night, Real Madrid will face off against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League final, and star player Jude Bellingham is getting ready for the match.Those who competed in last Saturday’s all-Manchester FA Cup final may be eligible to play in the second of two forthcoming friendlies against Iceland and Bosnia, but Southgate has already stated that he will not be participating in either.

John Stones, Phil Foden, Kyle Walker, and Jack Grealish—all players who lost to City—and 19-year-old Kobbie Mainoo—who scored a goal in United’s 2-1 victory—have not yet joined the team.

During last Tuesday’s squad unveiling, Southgate acknowledged that selecting this England squad has been the most difficult task he has ever faced.

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Southgate acknowledged that the left back is a “long shot” and that there are still worries about Maguire, a teammate from Manchester United, who has also been out for a month due to a muscular problem.

“Luke Shaw and Harry Maguire needed a little bit more work with our medical team because they had injuries at the end of the season with United,” Southgate explained to England’s YouTube account.

I believe they’re both really dedicated to getting ready for the competition, and they know that each day counts.

At this point in the season, it is crucial to know precisely where they are, and we now have the opportunity to do just that.

“We receive information from the clubs, but it’s hard to get a clear picture until you see the players up close, the medics examine them, and we can see them on grass.”

After Monday’s match against Bosnia at St. James’ Park, England will host Iceland at Wembley on Friday.Just hours after that last match, Southgate must submit his final 26-man roster to UEFA. On June 10, the group will then fly to Germany.

Southgate responded, “Extremely difficult,” when asked how tough it will be to narrow his 33-man training squad.

Leaving players out of this 33 was obviously a huge challenge, and there are some younger players who may have different expectations coming into this camp.

On the other hand, tough decisions will need to be made.

“With any luck, we’ll have the healthiest possible team to choose from, and many of those decisions won’t be impacted by injuries.”