Matt Maher: Gareth Southgate stuck between a rock and a hard place on Euros squad

Then the wait to discover their fate was delayed by another week.

Gareth Southgate’s late decision to name a 33-man provisional squad for this summer’s tournament, rather than the final 26-man group initially intended, might have prompted concern in some quarters about the Three Lions boss’ clarity of thought.

Yet in truth doubts over the fitness of key players, coupled with the involvement of three English clubs in the finals of the European club competitions, left him in a near impossible position.

Had Southgate stuck with his original intention of naming the final squad this week, he might have been left in the rather tricky, almost embarrassing position of dragging players not selected back from holiday should any of those with question marks over their fitness suffer setbacks in the coming days.

Telling seven players who will be part of the camp face-to-face they will not be involved in the tournament carries its own difficulties, of course.

But on balance it is the lesser of two evils and besides, Southgate needs the numbers. As things stand, the five Manchester United players named in the provisional squad won’t join up with the group until Tuesday, just 24 hours before England’s first friendly against Austria.

The seven players from Chelsea and Manchester City involved in tomorrow’s Champions League final, meanwhile, won’t meet up with England until toward the end of next week.

That means at least some of the unlucky seven who will be chopped from the finals squad will still need to be involved in one or perhaps both of the warm-up matches. There won’t be enough numbers to fill the substitutes bench otherwise.

Success this summer will in large part be down to managing fatigue after the shortest, most hectic club season in modern history.

Among those players Southgate will be monitoring closely is Jack Grealish.

The Villa captain is still not training fully following the shin injury which kept him out for three months and Southgate this week questioned whether he would be able to meet the demands of playing 90 minutes every few days.

Grealish, of course, would still provide a valuable option off the bench and the expectation is that, barring any unforeseen setbacks, he will still make the 26. But the confirmation he and a few others crave is going to have to wait just a few more days.