Euro 2020: From Jesse Lingard to Dayot Upamecano, Here Are Five Players Who Were Left Out of This Year’s European Championships

The upcoming Euro 2020 would surely bring some of football’s European stars together in one competition and fans would be very excited to see their favourite players in action. Just imagine. All of Europe’s elite under roof. Despite many big players being included in their respective national squads for the tournament, there is also a tall list of names who did well enough to book their tickets to the Euro. These players perhaps did everything right, put in spectacular performances for their sides but shockingly, were left overlooked when it came to national selection. Here are the list of five such players, who failed to make the cut for Euro 2020: Euro 2020: From Kevin de Bruyne to Bruno Fernandes, Check Three Midfielders To Watch Out for

1) Marco Asensio (Real Madrid) : Many jaws were left dropped when Luis Enrique had named Spain’s squad for Euro 2020. There were several notable exclusions, (including the fact that no Real Madrid player was picked) and one of those ommissions was Marco Asensio. Considered to be one of Spain’s best youth prospects, he has been struggling with his own share of injuries but the winger ended this season on a high, finishing with seven goals. As a matter of fact, Adama Traore, who scored just two goals this season, was picked before him.

2) Theo Hernandez (AC Milan): The left-back had a spectacular season with AC Milan, helping them finish second in the Serie A. The 23-year old moved from Real Madrid to AC Milan in 2019 and has been a top performer for the Italian giants. He is good, not just defensively but created very good chances and scored some eight goals and as many assists. And one can say that he deserved a potential call-up to the squad. It was indeed shocking to see him not being included in France’s plans for Euro 2020.

3) Dayot Upamecano (RB Leipzig): Dayout Upamecano is undoubtedly one of the best young defenders in the world at this point of time. He has had a fantastic season for RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga and his performances impressed champions Bayern Munich, who roped in the player for next season. As a matter of fact, what is surprising that Barcelona’s Clement Lenglet was picked over him, despite having a forgettable season for Barcelona. Upamecano indeed would have given France coach Didier Deschamps a better option at the back but his exclusion somewhat makes sense because the national side is already stacked with a lot of talent at the back, in the form of Kurt Zouma, Presnel Kimpembe, Lucas Hernandez and Benjamin Pavard.

4) James Ward-Prowse (Southampton): James Ward Prowse was one of the best players in England this season and it was very surprising to see him missing out on a spot in England’s squad for Euro 2020. The Southampton midfielder has played every single minute for the club for the past two seasons, which just goes to show how important he is to their team and has also scored nine goals and notched up seven assists. His exclusion was all the more shocking after he put up a beautiful performance against England’s 1-0 win over Romania in a recent friendly match. Even when Trent Alexander-Arnold was excluded due to injury, Brighton’s Ben White was chosen over him.

5) Jesse Lingard (Manchester United/West Ham): One of the starters of the 2018 World Cup, Jesse Lingard was avoided by England head coach Gareth Southgate for the Euros. This decision was shocking because of the fact that the attacking midfielder was perhaps one of West Ham’s best players towards the end of the season. He was signed by West Ham on loan from Manchester United earlier this year and he showed exactly why he was so highly rated in English football ranks. With a total of nine goals and five assists, his performances for West Ham towards the end of the season was the reason why the club qualified for the Europa League next season.

A notable mention must be made of Sergio Ramos, who was perhaps one of the biggest exclusions from this years’ European competition. The veteran Spanish defender had a tough season full of injuries and was subsequently left out. Coach Luis Enrique clarified his decision, saying that it was a “difficult” one and Ramos himself later posted an emotional post on Instagram which suggested that he hasn’t yet recovered fully.

(The above story first appeared on Today News 24 on Jun 10, 2021 10:18 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website todaynews24.top).