Behind-the-scenes details have come to light regarding the reaction within the England camp to the news of Jack Grealish’s omission from the final squad for the Euros.
After being included in the initial 33-man squad, the Manchester City winger was one of the seven players cut from the final squad, despite providing an assist in the recent 3-0 win over Bosnia-Herzegovina.
With the dust settling on this big news, some interesting behind-the-scenes information has come to light regarding how the players in the England camp reacted to Gareth Southgate’s decision to cut Grealish from the final squad.
England players shocked by Jack Grealish being cut from the Euros squad
A recent report from The Telegraph had this to say on the situation.
It said: “England players were caught out by Gareth Southgate’s omission of Jack Grealish from his 26-man squad for the European Championship and were so shocked by the decision that one senior member of the team approached the manager himself.
“Southgate’s decision not to take Grealish to Germany was the one that caused the most surprise and reaction within the England camp.
“It is understood that one senior player spoke to Southgate in the immediate aftermath to try to understand the decision and help explain it to teammates, while other players rallied around Grealish.
“Grealish was said to be stunned and upset by the news of his omission and that surprise was matched by some of his teammates, who visited his room after learning of his fate, with at least one approaching Southgate personally.
“Shocked players visited Grealish’s room at England’s training camp after hearing that he would be going home with some telling him that he should have been in the squad.
“Those who felt Grealish should travel to Germany not only rate him as one of England’s best options to make an impact from the substitutes’ bench, but also as a big character to have within the camp. He also has plenty of trophy-winning experience with City.
“Such was the surprise and debate that one player spoke with Southgate. It is believed he wanted to be sure of the reasoning to help explain the situation to others.”
This is a big blow for Grealish
After going through a difficult season with City, which he admitted to at the end of the campaign, not being included in the Euros squad should understandably be a big blow for Grealish, especially if he was hoping to regain his confidence by playing in the tournament.
In our view, the fact that the England players were shocked by Southgate’s decision to cut the winger from the squad shows just how highly he is thought of by his international teammates, both as a player and as a personality to have in training and in the dressing room.