US Open champ Matt Fitzpatrick has said he is holding out hope that Europe will field its strongest possible team for the Ryder Cup showdown against the United States in Rome come September — including those who have left the PGA Tour and DP World Tours to join LIV Golf.

Luke Donald’s men are aiming to regain the trophy from Zach Johnson’s side at Marco Simone GC in the autumn, and Fitzpatrick insists that the best way to do that is to failed the best players on offer, even after the LIV Golf fall-out this year that saw several top players banned from playing on the PGA Tour and former captain Henrik Stenson stripped of his duties for joining the new circuit.

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Other top names and former Ryder Cup heroes whose places are in doubt include Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter, while rising star Adrian Otaegui has impressed and is currently in the Ryder Cup points reckoning.

The United States have made a stand by insisting LIV players such as Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, Patrick Reed and Bubba Watson will not be in their plans, it is still uncertain if Europe will follow suit, or leave the door open.

“It might be some players from other places in the world,” Fitzpatrick told Sky Sports. “I think there definitely are a few personal relationships that have been dented by this. I’m not bothered, I just want to win, and I’m sure those boys do too.”

Spaniard and top Ryder Cup points-scorer Garcia is one man Fitzpatrick pinpointed as a potential key player if Europe are to wrest the trophy back from a strong US side.

“Sergio would be the one that would stand out for me, particularly,” Fitzpatrick said.

“I don’t know the details of [his relationship with outspoken LIV Golf critic and world No. 1 Rory McIlroy]. I’m happy to share a room with him, if that’s going to be the case, I can corner him off for everyone else.”

The 28-year-old said he believes players should be free to choose which tour they want to play on, but the Stenson situation was damaging to Team Europe.

“It was a tough one because he had started gearing up for Rome, making notes and putting plans together,” Fitzpatrick said: “And then it’s like: ‘Sorry, lads, I’m off.’

“As long as you go and don’t come back, I don’t have an issue. Go take the money, go play wherever you want, I could not care less, just don’t come back on tour and then take spots from other guys that want to play.

“I understand that there’s the likes of Westy, Poulter and Sergio that have played a lot in Europe over the years and have done their bit, and they have. I can’t ever knock them for that, they’ve done way more than I have for the European Tour.”

Despite the ban on some of their players, Team US showed in the recent Presidents Cup that they have plenty of depth and new European stars such as Adrian Meronk will need to emerge to help the likes of Fitzpatrick, McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Tommy Fleetwood and Tyrrell Hatton if they are to avoid a rare home loss.

“I think it’s definitely going to be a younger team,” Fitzpatrick said. “The young lads are going to have to step up their game and play a lot better to compete with the Americans, because their depth is better than ours, there’s no hiding that.”