England have some of Europe's brightest talents but it is up to head coach Gareth Southgate to pick a balanced squad capable of winning the upcoming European Championship.

The Three Lions will head to Germany in the summer as one of the favourites but several stars are at risk of losing their seat on the plane.

Ahead of the upcoming tournament, we look at five players sweating over their place in Southgate's plans.

Mason Mount

Mason Mount returned from injury in Manchester United's dramatic FA Cup win over Liverpool but has a lot of work to do between now and the end of the season.

The 25-year-old was not included in Southgate's latest squad to face Brazil and Belgium and has only made 13 appearances in all competitions this season.

Before his calf injury that kept him sidelined for 110 days, the former Chelsea midfielder was a favourite of the Three Lions boss and has earned 36 caps for his country.

But after an underwhelming start to life in Manchester, his England future is in doubt ahead of the Euros.

Kalvin Phillips

West Ham seemed the perfect destination for Kalvin Phillips after his move to Manchester City did not live up to expectations but things have continued to spiral in East London.

After gifting Bournemouth a goal on his debut and then picking up a red card a few weeks later, he has not played for more than 45 minutes in his last four appearances and is another who has been left out of England's latest squad.

The 28-year-old was involved in the European qualifiers at the end of 2023 and featured at the 2022 World Cup so will still retain some hope that he can force his way back into the manager's plans.

Jack Grealish

From the highs of winning the Treble last season to the lows of making just seven Premier League starts in 2023-24, Jack Grealish has suffered a slight fall from grace this year.

The 35-cap international has played second fiddle to summer signing Jeremy Doku for much of the campaign and his latest injury left the 28-year-old visibly upset in the City dugout.

And with Newcastle's Anthony Gordon continuing to prove himself at the top level, Grealish's position in the England squad is under serious threat as we approach the summer.

Lewis Dunk

England have a few issues in defence with Luke Shaw, Reece James and Marc Guehi all suffering long-term injuries.

Brighton's Lewis Dunk has benefitted from the lack of depth in recent months but Southgate's inclusion of Ezri Konsa and Jarrad Branthwaite in the latest squad suggests his spot is not safe.

The Seagulls have been leaking goals under Roberto De Zerbi recently, while Aston Villa and Everton both have better defensive records than Dunk's side.

Jarrod Bowen

Southgate has his favourites and although West Ham's Jarrod Bowen is enjoying his most prolific season ever, there is still a sense of doubt around the 27-year-old.

With Bukayo Saka, Phil Foden and Marcus Rashford all but guaranteed to make the trip to Germany, Bowen is going to have to fight off the likes of Ivan Toney, Cole Palmer and Gordon for one of the remaining spots.

England are stacked when it comes to forwards but it would seem incredibly harsh to drop Bowen after his stellar campaign.