England manager Gareth Southgate has explained why the Three Lions did not approach Crystal Palace attacker Michael Olise for the 2024 European Championship. Southgate said there was not enough time for Olise to switch international allegiance from France and line up for England at EURO 2024.
Michael Olise Missed Out On France’s EURO 2024 Squad
Despite spending a long time on the treatment table, Olise emerged as one of the standout players in the 2023-24 Premier League season. The 22-year-old, who primarily operates as a right-winger, featured in 19 games for Palace in the English top flight, scoring 10 times and providing six assists.
Olise’s performances have made him one of the most sought-after players in England, but it did not earn him a ticket to the 2024 European Championship. Coach Didier Deschamps, who has yet to give Olise his France senior team debut, did not name him in his EURO 2024 squad, with Kingsley Coman, Ousmane Dembele, Bradley Barcola, Marcus Thuram, Olivier Giroud, Randal Kolo Muani, and Kylian Mbappe getting the nod in attack.
Gareth Southgate Explains Why England Did Not Go After Michael Olise
Born to a Nigerian father and a French-Algerian mother in London, Olise is free to represent any of the four countries. So far, he has been with France, but after the EURO snub, there is a chance he could look for a switch, possibly to England.
After announcing his provision squad for EURO 2024, Southgate hinted that Olise was already in Three Lions’ plans, suggesting he would have included him in his provisional squad had he still not been registered as a France international.
Explaining why England did not approach Olise before EURO 2024, Southgate said (via Metro):
“He [Olise] would have to have a transfer of association. That process would take quite a while. He is obviously a very good player, he hasn’t made their squad. They might be taking him to the Olympics, I don’t know.
“He is a player we should have an interest in because he is a very good player but there is no way you could do all of that in time for the Euros.”
Olise is currently associated with the France U21 side. He has played seven matches as a France U21 international, scoring once and providing an assist.
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