Gareth Southgate’s first-ever England squad and what happened to them ahead of Euro 2024

It's been nearly eight years since Gareth Southgate first took the reins as England manager, stepping up from his role with the U21s following Sam Allardyce's controversial departure.

His debut match saw England secure a 2-0 victory over Malta in October 2016, with goals from Daniel Sturridge and Dele Alli, as the Three Lions moved a step closer to qualifying for the 2018 World Cup. The tournament would cement Southgate's status as a national hero, providing unforgettable moments of joy as England reached the semi-finals.

Now, as he gears up for his fourth major tournament at the helm, Southgate will aim to avenge England's defeat in the Euro 2020 final.

Despite the bitter tournament exits to Croatia and Italy, Southgate is arguably the best England manager since Sir Alf Ramsey. His first Three Lions squad demonstrates how Southgate has created a new era for the England team ahead of Euro 2024, with only Kyle Walker and John Stones remaining from the Malta game.

Football.london takes a look at what became of the rest of Southgate's inaugural England squad.

Joe Hart

The then-Torino goalkeeper had a challenging Euro 2016 campaign, marked by significant errors. Despite this, Hart briefly held onto his position as England's number one but would not be selected for Southgate's World Cup squad. His career had already started to decline after being replaced in the Manchester City team by new goalkeeper Claudio Bravo that summer.

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Hart, who was loaned to Torino and West Ham United by Man City, later served as a back-up at Burnley and Tottenham Hotspur. However, he experienced a surprise career resurgence at Celtic, where he clinched three consecutive league titles along with Scottish Cups and League Cups, before hanging up his gloves at the end of this season at 37.

Gary Cahill

Cahill, a crucial defender for Chelsea until 2018, moved on to Crystal Palace and Bournemouth before calling time on his career in 2022. He represented England in the 2018 World Cup, featuring in the final group game against Belgium, before retiring from international football later that year.

Post-retirement, Cahill has been sharing his insights as a pundit and recently participated in Soccer Aid.

Ryan Bertrand

Bertrand emerged as England's preferred left-back during the World Cup qualifiers after his stellar performances for Southampton. However, the emergence of Danny Rose and Luke Shaw soon saw him fall out of favour internationally, earning a total of 19 caps.

Bertrand remained with Southampton until 2021, followed by an unsuccessful stint at Leicester City, where he made just 11 appearances over two seasons. He was let go by the Foxes in 2023.

Jordan Henderson

Henderson is one of the few on this list who had hopes of being selected for Euro 2024. The midfielder enjoyed incredible success with Liverpool, winning the Premier League and Champions League as captain, and was a key player for Southgate's England, travelling to three major tournaments.

However, his controversial move to Al Ettifaq put a spotlight on his England place, sparking a transfer to Ajax in an attempt to be part of Southgate's plans. He was named in the provisional group but was left out of England's final 26-man squad for the upcoming tournament.

Dele Alli

England had started to pin their hopes on Dele, back in 2016. The midfielder was showing signs of being a world-class midfielder that the Three Lions could rely on for years to come.

Part of the World Cup in 2018, his performances subsequently dipped for Spurs and sparked a move to Everton in January 2022. A loan move to Besiktas followed, but the deal was cut short by injury. The former Spurs star gave a candid interview in July 2023, detailing his childhood, mental health issues and battle with a sleeping pill addiction. He is still on Everton's books but did not feature last season.

Wayne Rooney

Rooney, who was already England's top scorer when Southgate selected him against Malta, eventually saw his record surpassed by Harry Kane. The iconic forward had begun to drop into midfield and planned to retire from international football post-2018 World Cup. However. he effectively retired from England duty after losing his place in the Manchester United team during the 2016/17 season, earning his 120th and final England cap in November 2018.

In 2017, he bid farewell to Old Trafford, making a heartfelt return to Everton before ending his playing career at DC United and Derby County, starting his managerial journey at his final two clubs. Despite a challenging stint at Birmingham City this season, Rooney has been named Plymouth Argyle's manager for the forthcoming campaign.

Theo Walcott

Walcott, who had made a name for himself following a surprise call-up by Sven-Goran Eriksson in 2006, only played three times under Southgate, finishing with 48 caps. The striker netted 19 goals for Arsenal in the 2016/17 season but struggled to maintain that form throughout the rest of his career, spending three years each at Everton and Southampton before hanging up his boots in 2023, aged 34. Walcott has since moved into punditry.

Daniel Sturridge

Back in 2016, Daniel Sturridge scored the first goal of Southgate's tenure. However, he had already lost his position as England's top striker due to the rise of Harry Kane.

The former Liverpool forward's career was marred by injuries, leading him to leave Jurgen Klopp's team in 2019. He then had brief spells with Trabzonspor in Turkey and Perth Glory in the A-League as he strived to regain full fitness. Despite his last club stint being in 2022, the 34-year-old has never officially hung up his boots and has also dabbled in punditry.

Jesse Lingard

In October 2016, Lingard seemed to be on a roll, having just scored the decisive goal in the FA Cup final a few months earlier He also found the back of the net in the 2017 League Cup final, which earned him a four-year contract with Manchester United, and played a crucial role for England in the 2018 World Cup.

However, this was arguably the peak of the midfielder's career as he gradually fell out of favour at United. Despite a loan spell at West Ham briefly reviving his England prospects ahead of Euro 2020, Lingard left Old Trafford in 2022. After a season with newly-promoted Nottingham Forest and struggling to secure a new club, the 31-year-old signed with FC Seoul in February.

Danny Rose (Substitute for Bertrand)

Rose was the second-choice left-back behind Ashley Young at the 2018 World Cup. The full-back had a successful stint under Mauricio Pochettino at Spurs but failed to maintain his form and has been without a club since leaving Watford in 2022.

Marcus Rashford (Substitute for Walcott)

Rashford was seen as another huge England prospect in 2016. After making a name for himself at Old Trafford, he impressed for the Three Lions at the Euros and was part of Southgate's squads for the next three major tournaments. However, after scoring only eight goals in all competitions for United this season, he was left out of Southgate's plans for Euro 2024.

Jamie Vardy (Substitute for Sturridge)

Vardy was living the dream in October 2016, only a few months removed from Leicester City's fairytale Premier League triumph and scoring for England at a major tournament. The 37-year old-striker, who also won the FA Cup, recently signed a new contract with the Foxes after helping guide the club back to the top flight.

He was selected for the 2018 World Cup but retired from international football shortly after the tournament.

Unused substitutes

Chris Smalling, who has had a successful stint at Roma, was one of the players who remained on the bench. Despite earning two caps under Southgate, he struggled to secure an England recall. Michael Keane, currently struggling for a place in the Everton team, was also part of the squad but last represented England in 2020.

Eric Dier was arguably overlooked by Southgate for Euro 2024 after putting his Spurs struggles behind him and becoming a key player for Bayern Munich. He was an unused substitute against Malta but famously scored England's winning penalty against Colombia in the World Cup round of 16.

In midfield, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was still with Arsenal before his move to Liverpool where injuries would hamper his career. His last England appearance was in 2018 and he is now trying to revive his career with Besiktas in Turkey. Andros Townsend had been highly rated by former England boss Roy Hodgson and proved to be a reliable winger for Crystal Palace before spending his last season with Luton Town. His final England appearance came at the end of 2016.

West Ham United's Michail Antonio had impressed Southgate with his versatility for the Hammers but never earned a cap for the Three Lions. In 2021, he chose to represent Jamaica and has since earned 15 caps.

Then-Southampton number one Fraser Forster served as one of the backup goalkeepers in Southgate's first squad. He is currently an experienced backup goalkeeper at Spurs and received an England call-up as recently as March 2023 but was last capped in 2016.

Tom Heaton, 38, is the final England player on this list to have travelled to Euro 2024. The former Burnley goalkeeper returned to boyhood club Manchester United as a seasoned squad member in 2021. Despite last playing in February 2023, Heaton has gone to Germany to assist England's goalkeepers in training.