Serbia To Gain From England Omitting Grealish And Rashford, Matic Says

Nemanja Matic believes the absence of Jack Grealish and Marcus Rashford from England's Euro 2024 squad is advantageous for Serbia. Gareth Southgate announced his 26-man squad for the tournament in Germany on Thursday, leaving out several notable players. James Trafford, Jarrad Branthwaite, Jarell Quansah, Harry Maguire, Curtis Jones, James Maddison, and Grealish were all excluded ahead of England's final friendly against Iceland.

Manchester United forward Rashford was not part of the initial 33-man squad, having scored just seven league goals this season. This marks the first international tournament Rashford will miss since his senior team debut in 2016. Matic, who retired from international football with Serbia in 2020, commented on X that the absence of Rashford and Grealish would benefit Serbia when they face England in their Group C opener in Gelsenkirchen on June 16.

"I would always like to have players like Marcus Rashford and Jack Grealish in the team, players who can decide the game with one move! Not selected, good news for us," Matic wrote.

Grealish has made 10 appearances in the last two major tournaments, mostly as a substitute. All 36 of his England caps have come under Southgate. However, a challenging season with Manchester City limited him to 20 league appearances in 2023-24. Despite contributing five goals and seven assists as City won the treble in 2022-23, his form dipped this season.

Rashford helped Manchester United lift the FA Cup for a 13th time last month but failed to replicate his previous season's form, where he scored 30 goals across all competitions. Consequently, he will not add to his 17 England goals in Germany.