Liverpool legend slams Jack Grealish after England goal against Ireland

Liverpool legend John Aldridge has slammed Declan Rice and former Aston Villa skipper Jack Grealish for switching their international allegiance.

Rice earned three senior caps for the Republic of Ireland before deciding to represent England and Grealish played for Ireland at youth level before making the same switch. And both players were booed as they scored in England’s 2-0 win over Ireland in Dublin on Saturday.

Like Rice and Grealish, Aldridge was born in England but qualified for Ireland through his family heritage and decided to represent them over the Three Lions. And the Liverpool striker believes Rice and Grealish’s decisions to turn their back on Ireland is “not right on so many levels”.

“It was bad enough watching England toy with Ireland at the Aviva Stadium yesterday without seeing Declan Rice and Jack Grealish get their two goals,” Aldridge wrote in his Sunday World column.

“I know it’s old news now, but what those two lads did to Ireland was not right on so many levels, as pulling on a green jersey is a privilege and they showed us all a massive lack of respect. I’m in the perfect position to talk about this as I was born in England and could have tried to get into their squad when I was on my way up the football ladder.”

“Yet when Jack Charlton offered me a chance to play for Ireland, I jumped at the chance as it was always my dream to pull on the green shirt. Once you get that first Ireland cap and kiss that badge, as Rice did, you can’t turn around and play for England a few months later.”

“Grealish is a little different as he only played at underage level for Ireland, but I still feel you should not be allowed to switch international teams. Seeing those two score for England reminded us of what might have been as Ireland could have built their team around them for the last few years.”

When asked about the reception they received in Dublin, Grealish told ITV : “Yeah, I think it was what me and Dec expected. Me and Dec both enjoyed our time playing here. I certainly did. I have a lot Irish in my family, so there’s no bad blood whatsoever from my side.”

Rice, meanwhile, said: “[It was a] really good [afternoon]. Obviously it was the manager’s first game and a win. In the Nations League, we’re in the league below where we wanna be, so we know how important it is to win this group. To come here today and win, I think it was really important, and to score alongside Jack it was a really nice feeling as well.”