Euro 2024: Inside the UEFA Rules That Could See Grealish Still Earn England Call Up

• England still has a chance to give call-ups to players like Jack Grealish, who were omitted from the Euro 2024 travelling squad
• He was dropped out after a poor campaign for Manchester City riddled with injuries that saw him start 10 Premier League games
• Sports Brief explains circumstances under which a national team manager can call up a player who was not in their original squad

Gareth Southgate could still tinker with his squad ahead of England's Euro 2024 opener against Serbia on Sunday, June 16.

The Three Lions have started their training sessions in Germany as they strategise how they will go one better than their runners-up finish of Euro 2020.

Southgate named a 26-man squad for the tournament based purely on the form of the players of the just-concluded season.

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The list had surprise omissions, such as Jack Grealish and Harry Maguire, who were mainstays during the qualifying campaign.

Grealish was left out for 'better' players in the squad, while the latter failed to recover in time from a calf injury.

The Manchester City man might have already started his holidays, but there is still an outside chance that he will get a late call-up to play for the side in Germany.

UEFA rules on replacing players at championships

Article 48 of UEFA's regulations on football championships dictates that teams can change their squads 24 hours before the first game of the tournament if the player becomes seriously injured or ill.

"They may only be substituted if both their team doctor and a doctor from the UEFA Medical Committee confirm that the injury or illness is sufficiently serious to prevent them from taking part in the final tournament. Subject to the final approval of the UEFA administration, they may be replaced on the list of players registered for the final tournament."

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Outfield players can be replaced before the first game of the tournament, while goalkeepers can be replaced before the next match of the tournament.

Where does Grealish come in?

Despite the UEFA rule, Grealish's situation is still complicated by the fact that all the forwards Southgate took to Germany appear to be in top condition.

England's main worry is their backline, which appears thin at best.

Every player participated in the Tuesday training session, including Luke Shaw, who has been out since mid-February. However, John Stones missed out on Wednesday due to sickness, with the Guardian reporting he had been confined in a room to prevent the bug from spreading.

Should Stones fail to recover before Saturday, Southgate might opt to drop him, opening up possible call-ups for the likes of Levi Colwill, Jarrad Branthwaite, or Maguire (if he has recovered) to take up the spot.

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This rule has already been exercised by other teams. Germany have called up Emre Can to take Aleksandr Pavlovic's place after the young Bayern Munich midfielder picked up tonsillitis.

The Netherlands have also called up Joshua Zirkzee and Ian Maatsen to replace Teun Koopmeiners and Frenkie de Jong, respectively. Both these players were pulled off of vacation.

Why Luke Shaw wore a green bib

Sports Brief also previously reported why Luke Shaw was the only England player to wear a green bib in training.

He joined his Three Lions teammates for a training session for the first time since tearing his hamstring in February.

His readiness for the first game against Serbia remains in question, but he could be used if England go deep at Euros.