England Euro 2024 squad announcement LIVE: Marcus Rashford and Jordan Henderson axed as Adam Wharton called up

Euro 2024 is nearly upon us and with it comes a sartorial smorgasbord for us to enjoy, or be deeply offended by.

What have Croatia done this time? Have England pulled off a genuine gem? Why are Belgium wearing brown shorts? And which kit has won our highly coveted top spot?

There are still a few shirts to be released by Macron and the good people at Joma, but Nike, Puma and Adidas have dropped most of their gear already so, without further ado, let’s get stuck in.

From the visually upsetting to the optically arousing, here is our list of Euro 2024 kits, ranked and rated from worst to best:

If England finish second in Group C and all other results see teams with the better world ranking win then this is how the Three Lions’ knockout rounds would play out:

Round of 16: Saturday 29 June - Germany vs England

Quarter-final: Friday 5 July – Spain vs England

Semi-final: Tuesday 9 July – England vs Netherlands

Final: Sunday 14 July – England vs France

If England top Group C and other results go as predicted this is who they could face in the knockout rounds en route to the final:

Round of 16: Sunday June 30 - England vs Austria/Romania/Turkey

Quarter-final: Saturday July 6 – England vs Italy

Semi-final: Wednesday July 10 – France vs England

Final: Sunday July 14 – Spain vs England

Group stage

Sunday 16 June - Group C: Serbia vs England

Thursday 20 June - Group C: Denmark vs England

Tuesday 25 June - Group C: England vs Slovenia

It sounds like Reece James will not be making Euro 2024. The Chelsea captain has missed much of the season through injury, though perhaps he would have been included had he shone in the final games of the campaign. Instead he was sent off and then suspended, and it looks like Gareth Southgate is happy with his other options at right-back.

Gareth Southgate has a host of dilemmas to solve before picking England’s Euro 2024 squad, and there will no doubt be countless tense conversations with assistant Steve Holland over the next few weeks about left-backs and No 6s and the existential necessity of Jordan Henderson.

Chief among them is the question of which striker to take alongside Harry Kane. Given that squads have shrunk back down to 23 players from 26 at the past two tournaments, Southgate will likely pick only two out-and-out No 9s. Callum Wilson was once in the picture but has faded with injuries. Dominic Solanke has made a charge but it is too late. The battle to join Kane at the Euros is between Ollie Watkins and Ivan Toney.

They match up pretty evenly. On form, Watkins has the edge with a flood of goals and assists since Unai Emery took charge of Aston Villa. Toney returned from his betting ban in January with a few goals but is not as prolific, though that is perhaps understandable playing for Brentford rather than Villa. Watkins has a little more international experience, having made 11 caps and scored three goals; Toney has one goal in two appearances.

Phil Foden’s hat-trick against Aston Villa on April 3 might well be looked back on as a watershed moment for the Manchester City player.

Long thought of as an understudy to the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland, on that occasion he shone in their absence, with a swagger and confidence England fans have been waiting for. Not even Wayne Rooney had three Premier League hat-tricks to his name before the age of 24.

Undoubtedly Foden will be included in Gareth Southgate’s squad for the upcoming Euro 2024, but questions remain over whether he will play.

Here The Independent’s sports team take a look at where they think the England manager should employ one of his key weapons:

The Daily Mail is also reporting that Ivan Toney is in the initial squad. He was not necessarily a shoo-in, given his poor club form in recent months, without a goal since February. But the striker is in the group and will hope to make the final 26 after scoring a penalty against Belgium in March to remind Gareth Southgate of his spot-kick prowess.

James Maddison and Kobbie Mainoo are the latest players to be confirmed in the training squad, although they are no great surprise.

The initial squad’s size has still not been confirmed but we are expecting around 33 players to be named, meaning seven or so will be cut when the final 26 are announced on Saturday 8 July, six days before Euro 2024 begins.

Luke Shaw

A key figure in England’s last two tournaments, the Euro 2020 final goalscorer has endured a difficult, injury-impacted campaign. The 28-year-old has only managed 15 appearances for Manchester United this term and has not featured for the national team since last June. Shaw is expected to return for United from his latest setback next month and feature before the end of the season. Southgate would surely include someone he calls “one of the best left-backs in world football” if the squad is enlarged.

Reece James

Right-back is nowhere near as much of a pressing issue as left-back given England’s options, but a selection of 26 would offer James a glimmer of hope. The Chelsea captain has only managed nine appearances this term and is at risk of missing his second successive international tournament, having been ruled out of the World Cup in Qatar with a knee injury. This time James is dealing with a hamstring issue and the Football Association has been in close contact with Chelsea throughout the 24-year-old’s rehabilitation.