Nemanja Matic reckons Serbia will gain from England’s squad selections for Euro 2024, notably the absences of Jack Grealish and Marcus Rashford.
On Thursday, Gareth Southgate unveiled the 26 players heading to Germany, leaving several stars sidelined. Notably, the list omitted Grealish and other talents.
The initial roster of 33 did not include Rashford. His performance this season yielded only seven league goals under Erik ten Hag at Manchester United.
Rashford will sit out his first major international event since his debut with the senior team in 2016.
Matic, who hung up his boots for Serbia in 2020, expressed that not facing his former teammate and Grealish spells good fortune for Serbia. They meet in Group C’s first match in Gelsenkirchen on June 16.
Posting on X, Matic mentioned, “Having players like Marcus Rashford and Jack Grealish, who can turn games on their head, would be daunting. Their non-selection is serendipitous for us.”
Grealish, typically used as a game-changer from the bench, has participated in the last two major tournaments mostly in shorter spells.
His stint at Manchester City this season was hampered by fits and starts, limiting him to 20 league appearances, following a stellar triple-trophy haul in the previous season.
Although Rashford helped secure the FA Cup recently, his form dipped compared to his 30-goal tally across competitions in the 2022-23 season. Therefore, he won’t be adding to his 17 goals for England in this tournament.
