Sam Johnstone's Euro 2024 Dreams Dashed by Elbow Injury on England Duty

Crystal Palace goalkeeper Sam Johnstone is facing a race against time to recover from an elbow injury sustained during England duty. This injury puts his hopes of making the Euro 2024 squad in jeopardy. Johnstone, along with Harry Maguire and Kyle Walker pulled out of England’s clash against Belgium. While the extent of the injuries was not initially disclosed, there are now concerns that Johnstone’s injury may be more severe than initially thought, potentially ruling him out for the rest of the season.

It’s a significant setback for Crystal Palace manager Olivier Glasner who had made Johnstone his first-choice goalkeeper. With Johnstone’s absence, Dean Henderson is expected to step in. However, Johnstone’s injury poses a bigger setback for him personally, especially considering his chances of representing England in the European Championship.

Gareth Southgate, England’s manager now faces a dilemma in finding a suitable backup for Jordan Pickford who is set to be England’s starting goalkeeper for Euro 2024. James Trafford has been called up to replace Johnstone with Jack Butland also considered if Johnstone is unable to recover in time.