Euro 2024 is rapidly approaching, with England shaking things up in their provisional squad as a new generation of players looks set to be bedded into the setup by manager Gareth Southgate.

Southgate has undoubtedly had plenty of success throughout his tenure with England and is perhaps England's best manager in quite some time.

Across his time as manager, he has moulded a very strong squad that has looked united on the pitch; something sorely missing from previous 'Golden Generations'.

Depending on who you ask, the consistency with which Southgate picks his squads for international games has been a big contributor to the Three Lions' relative success.

The former Aston Villa and Middlesbrough defender always sticks with the same core of players that he trusts and usually only makes changes to the fringes of the squad - at least that was the case until the provisional side for the upcoming European Championships was announced.

Southgate has opted to leave out a few of his usually favoured stars, notably Marcus Rashford and Jordan Henderson, as a new-look England side appears to take shape ahead of what could be his final tournament in charge.

Of course, there will always be the likes of Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and so on; whose talent commands a place in any national side. 

But there appears to be a changing of the guard at present, with younger stars being brought into the setup and others - even those who have had huge success with England - getting phased out.

That leaves us assessing the future of the players that have so often been relied upon by Southgate and where they might find themselves beyond the summer.

Jordan Pickford

It feels like this is the first major tournament - maybe even a set of international games - where fans are no longer divided over the abilities of Jordan Pickford.

The Everton goalkeeper has been the target of plenty of criticism since his England debut in 2017, but has time and time again proved doubters wrong, establishing himself as the national team's number-one goalkeeper.

Pickford has developed into a reliable member of the squad and is always a top performer in major tournaments.

He also consistently performs for his club in the Premier League, keeping the second-highest number of clean sheets in the league last season (13).

There aren't many realistic challengers to his spot either and Pickford will likely remain England's number one for the foreseeable future.

Harry Maguire

Harry Maguire has suffered plenty of ups and downs in recent years, both at club and international level.

His form for Manchester United has been patchy to say the least, sometimes excelling but often making costly errors, so much so that he was nearly shipped out last summer.

Regardless of his struggles in the league, Southgate has insisted on not only selecting him but also having him as the first choice alongside John Stones and, in fairness, it has proved to be a solid defensive partnership.

Unfortunately for Maguire, the emergence of Jarrad Branthwaite could prove to be the final nail in the coffin for his time in England's starting line-up.

The youngster appears to be tailor-made to slot into the Three Lions' defence next to Stones in the future; meaning Maguire might have to settle for a lesser role in the squad although might not necessarily be dropped completely.

Jordan Henderson

The writing seems to be on the wall for Henderson after his latest omission, with the former Premier League-winning captain struggling to play at the level required to be selected for England.

Henderson first completed an ill-fated move to Saudi Arabia in the summer of 2023 before backtracking to join Ajax in the Netherlands at the beginning of 2024.

Those decisions proved to be costly as the midfielder has fallen considerably down the pecking order.

About to turn 34, this would have likely been Henderson's final major tournament anyway - but his omission from the squad suggests his time is up with the Three Lions, regardless of whether or not Southgate stays on as manager.

Kalvin Phillips

Kalvin Phillips was one of the key performers at Euro 2020 and formed a formidable midfield partnership with Declan Rice.

Things have taken a turn for the worse since his move to Manchester City in 2022, though, with the Yorkshireman barely featuring at club level for the past two seasons.

A loan move to West Ham in January 2024 was seen as a late attempt to play his way back into the England squad, but Phillips has spent the last five months battling injuries and poor form.

His future at both club and international level is highly uncertain, although aged 28 he is entering his prime years and could still return to the standards seen just a few years ago.

Phillips is approaching a crossroads in his career on all fronts this summer and needs to get his next move right to have any hopes of breaking back into the national side - with youngsters like Curtis Jones, Adam Wharton and Kobbie Mainoo all pushing to shut him out of England's midfield completely.

Marcus Rashford

After a career-best 30 goals in all competitions during the 2022/23 season, Rashford's form has taken a complete nosedive over the past year.

The Manchester United forward managed only eight goals in the campaign just gone and even faced some time out of the side due to the drop in his performances.

That resulted in him being left out of England's Euro 2024 squad altogether, with the likes of Jack Grealish and Anthony Gordon favoured instead.

Rashford has undoubted quality, though, and aged 26 is about to enter his prime years - so it would be foolish to suggest his England career is over.

It's hard to shake the feeling that he still has plenty to offer on the international stage provided he can rediscover some of the form that made him one of the best forwards in the world.

The Euro 2024 omission is hopefully just a bump in the road and we will hopefully see the best of Rashford again in the future for club and country.

Raheem Sterling

After Kane, Raheem Sterling remains England's highest-scoring active player - both at club level and for the national team (20 for England, 173 across his club career).

His importance for the Three Lions over the last few years shouldn't go unnoticed, with the winger playing a crucial role at Euro 2020.

Sterling enjoyed his best period around that time, but has struggled since joining Chelsea in 2022 which ultimately led to him dropping out of Southgate's squad in recent months.

At 29, he is quickly moving through his peak and the next major international tournament (2026 World Cup) might come too late for Sterling to still be truly effective in the England setup.

After missing out on a spot at Euro 2024, we may have already seen his final game for the Three Lions - but never rule out a player that has so often proved his critics wrong.

It wasn't meant to be for Sterling this summer, but he could still have a future in an England shirt should he get back to the levels previously shown throughout his career.