Jack Grealish was a surprise omission from Gareth Southgate’s England squad for Euro 2024, with the Three Lions boss opting against selecting the Man City playmaker
Gareth Southgate, England’s manager, raised eyebrows just a week ago when he announced his provisional squad for Euro 2024, leaving the nation in an uproar over Jack Grealish’s shocking exclusion.
Despite his shaky performance at Manchester City last season, 28-year-old Grealish was largely expected to make a splash for England in this summer’s European Championships. Now, alas, Grealish finds himself relegated to the sidelines as a spectator.
Heads are turning and tongues are wagging about Southgate’s bold move to drop Grealish from England’s 26-strong team headed to the Euros. With England’s clash against Serbia just on the horizon, the controversy surrounding Southgate’s decision is nowhere near dying down. Why did he get left out?
Southgate’s surprise U-turn
It’s been no secret that Southgate counts himself as one of Grealish’s advocates, frequently defending the ex-Aston Villa ace amid tougher times. Just this past October, Southgate stood by Grealish, noting how “brutally honest” the player is regarding his own game even admitting that sometimes Grealish can be “too harsh” on himself.
With 36 caps under his belt, Grealish has become a staple in Southgate’s England lineup, until, in a twist of events, mere months after supporting Grealish’s self-critique, Southgate opted to sideline him for the upcoming European championship.
Jack Grealish has been left out of the England Euro 2024 squad (
Image:
Richard Sellers/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images)
Gareth Southgate, in the post-selection briefing, made it clear he had a wealth of talent to choose from. “We’re blessed with options in attacking areas, all offering something slightly different. [James Maddison] and Jack give us something different as well, so they’re tough calls,” he admitted, recognizing the gravity of his choices for the England squad’s attacking lineup.
“We’ve gone over it and over it as staff to try and be fair. We back our decisions but we recognise we could have gone a different route. Both boys are big characters and great to work with.”
Jack Grealish’s two-word reaction
Jack Grealish hasn’t openly criticized the decision to exclude him from the Euros line-up, but a poignant Instagram post hints at his sentiments. With an image from his latest game for England against Bosnia and Herzegovina, he simply stated: “Nothing better”.
The speculated motives behind Grealish’s exclusion
Jamie O’Hara, the ex-Tottenham Hotspur player, has given his interpretation of why Grealish got the cold shoulder – suggesting that Southgate hasn’t fully valued Grealish, especially during his stellar period at Aston Villa.
Speaking to Grosvenor Sport, O’Hara dished out his thoughts on the Grealish-Southgate saga: “I don’t think Southgate ever really loved Grealish. He never got the call up for England at Aston Villa when he was playing his best football, but Southgate had to put him in when he joined Manchester City and started playing most weeks.”
“The problem for Jack is he’s been injured and hasn’t played as much this season. The fact he hasn’t featured much for City alongside his injuries means it’s made it easy for Southgate to leave him out, I don’t think he’s ever admired Jack that much as a player and I reckon he thinks there’s better players than him.”
“It’s a tough call, I felt for Jack because I like him. You need characters in the dressing room especially when you’re away for weeks, you need lads like that. He’s a good laugh and a great player. He’s won trophies and was a big part of winning the treble, so it’s a big call to leave him out for Anthony Gordon and Ebere Eze who haven’t won anything.”
