Former Manchester United ace Nemanja Matic will be rallying on his native Serbia to go all the way in Euro 2024, having retired from the national team four years ago.
Of course, Serbia were drawn with England in Group C – along with Denmark and Slovenia – and will take on the Three Lions in the sides’ tournament opener on June 16.
Gareth Southgate submitted his final 26-man squad on Thursday afternoon, which saw Harry Maguire unfortunately sent home from camp due to a calf injury. Luke Shaw, however, did make the cut despite suffering from an ongoing complaint, while Kobbie Mainoo is also gearing up to represent his nation at a major tournament for the first time.
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When the manager’s initial selection was released in May, Marcus Rashford’s omission took plenty of United and England fans by surprise. We’re all aware that the forward was on the back of a sub-par season at club level, but there’s no question that he’s always provided for his country when called upon.
As such, confirmation of Jack Grealish’s exit yesterday also raised the eyebrows of some fans – and Matic believes Southgate’s decision-making will only benefit Serbia when the two teams go head-to-head in Germany next week.
He shared a post on Twitter (X) this morning that read: “I would always like to have players like @MarcusRashford and @JackGrealish in the team, players who can decide the game with one move! Not selected – good news for us [Serbia].”
I would always like to have players like @MarcusRashford and @JackGrealish in the team, players who can decide the game with one move!Not selected/good news for us 🇷🇸
— Nemanja Matic (@NemanjaMatic) June 7, 2024
