The provisional England squad for Euro 2024 was announced this week – and the notable omission of Marcus Rashford became the biggest talking point for England fans. But, if the Manchester United forward will not be travelling to Germany this summer, he has made another squad: he appears with Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsdale and Chelsea’s Conor Gallagher in images of the Marks & Spencer formalwear that the team will be wearing when off the field at the tournament this summer.
The trio of goalkeeper, midfielder and forward – presumably photographed before England manager, Gareth Southgate, announced his provisional squad – model the range. It includes items in many men’s wardrobes currently – overshirts, blouson jackets, straight-leg trousers – all in a tasteful colour palette of cream, beige and black. The quarter zip knit sweater – that already has managerial endorsement, as worn by Southgate as well as Mikel Arteta and Pep Guadiola – is also featured here.
Rashford looks at home, smiling in the images. He is accustomed to fashion – he appeared on the cover of Vogue in 2020 and he worked on an advertising campaign and youth project with Burberry in 2021. Last year, he attended the Louis Vuitton fashion show in Paris.
The clothing worn off field by teams at international tournaments has been suiting until very recently – for Euro 2020, the England team were photographed in navy blue suits while Armani designed collarless jackets for the Italian team. But ties and blazers have very quickly begun to feel old-fashioned. Aligning with wider trends in menswear, what teams wear off the field has evolved to a more casual look. The German team went tie-less at the World Cup in 2018, wearing blazers and sweaters designed by Hugo Boss.
The designs worn by England this year follow the lead of the World Cup 2022 outfits – that consisted of navy short trousers, casual jackets and cream knitwear – also designed by Marks & Spencer. The photo of the final 27 man squad for Euro 2024 wearing this year’s designs will be released on 10 June, just before the tournament begins.
The collection, that features the Three Lions England crest on the inside of jackets and overshirts, is already available for non-footballers to buy on the Marks & Spencer website. With the jackets and trousers made from performance fabric for easy movement, the retailer is clearly targeting sports fans who look to professional athletes as their style icons. Prices range from £40 for a knitted cotton T-shirt to £60 for a bomber jacket.
