Some England fans are reeling over Gareth Southgate’s omission of Jack Grealish from this summer’s Euros.
Southgate axed seven players from his initial 33-man England squad on Thursday. Grealish, James Maddison, and Harry Maguire were the most notable of the six-player drops.
The Three Lions will play Iceland at Wembley in their last friendly match before the tournament kicks off on June 14.
“Madders and Jack both give us something different, so it was a tough call.” explained Southgate.
“Both of those boys are fantastic characters and great teammates.”
“As I said, the players took the news respectfully,” Southgate further expounded to the Mirror. “Of course, players believe they should be in, and that’s why they are top players; they have self-belief and that mindset. But the fact is we have players who have been playing extremely well all season in the league, and we just feel other players have had stronger seasons, particularly in the last six months or so.”
Does that mean Grealish jets off Ibiza by the weekend? Probably, or embraces the street heat in New York for another slice of pizza.
The Manchester City midfielder didn’t have one of his best seasons despite a resurgence last year during the Treble. Then again, he didn’t play as much, given that Guardiola had superior attacking options to deploy. Grealish only scored three goals and notched three assists in 36 matches this season. That’s not the output one expects from one of the most expensive Englishmen transfers ever. For comparison, Jarrod Bowen garnered 20 goals and 10 assists.
Still, Grealish does offer the England team something different than left-footed Palmer, Foden, Saka, and Bowen. His hold-up play is exceptional, especially vital when the Three Lions are trying to hold onto a 1-nil lead.
There are also rumors that Southgate never rated publicity player Grealish in the first place.
What are your thoughts on Grealish’s exclusion from the side?
Photo: x/FRBlueMoon
