UEFA rule change set to hand £77m Newcastle United trio a major boost ahead of St James' Park meeting

Anthony Gordon’s hopes of earning an England call-up for Euro 2024 have received a major boost with UEFA set to approve a rule change.

Euro 2024 squads are set to be increased from 23 to 26 players this summer, according to Sky Sports. It will come as a welcome boost for any outfield players on the fringes of squads such as England.

Gordon was called-up by Gareth Southgate for the first time last month as he earned his first two senior England caps in the matches against Brazil and Belgium. He was Newcastle’s only representative in the England squad due to Kieran Trippier, Nick Pope and Callum Wilson being injured and unavailable for selection.

Trippier will be pushing to return to fitness after over seven weeks out with a calf injury. If fit, the 33-year-old is likely to be named in the England squad.

But there is real uncertainty over Wilson and Pope. Both players took part in England’s last major tournament in 2022 but have dropped out of recent squads due to injury.

Wilson is closing in on a return after two months out with a pectoral injury while Pope hasn’t featured since early December following a dislocated shoulder. And with just six games remaining this season, time is not on their side.

The changes to squad rules won’t impact Pope as England will call-up three goalkeepers regardless but the extra three places give Wilson some renewed hope of sneaking in. The 32-year-old is currently behind Harry Kane, Ollie Watkins and Ivan Toney in the pecking order while Dominic Solanke’s impressive season at Bournemouth could see him earn a call-up over the Newcastle No. 9.

Ironically, injuries could be Wilson’s best hope of getting into the squad. Should any of the players drop out of contention and Wilson be able to end the season well, he is sure to be on Southgate’s radar.

Ahead of Euro 2024, England will be travelling to Newcastle on June 3 to face Bosnia & Herzegovina for a pre-tournament warm-up at St James’ Park. It will be the first England first-team match on Tyneside in almost 20 years with Newcastle hopeful of having a number of representatives in the squad.