Kyle Walker has shared his thoughts on his fellow Manchester City teammate Jack Grealish being cut from the England squad for the Euros.
After being included in Gareth Southgate’s initial 33-man squad prior to the tournament, the winger was one of the seven players who were not picked to travel to Germany and participate in the competition.
Once the news broke of Grealish’s omission, it was reported that a lot of players in the England camp couldn’t believe Southgate’s decision to leave the City star out.
Now that the tournament has kicked off, Walker has opened up about this particular situation involving his City teammate.
Kyle Walker drops verdict on Jack Grealish being dropped from the England squad
When asked in a recent interview with ITV what his reaction was to the news of Grealish not being included in the final England squad, Walker had this to say on the matter.
He said: “Shocked because I know what Jack can do. Shocked because of the players brought in? No, they’re all at a great quality and all had fantastic seasons.
“I think Jack would be the first one to say he could’ve had a better season. I think he has come out publicly and said he could have had a better season.
“So what does a manager base it on? Form or people that he knows and that have had good tournaments or a good season, the season before.
“You’re here on merit. And I believe always it should be like that. That you’re in this team because you’ve played well for your club which then puts you into the England fold.”
Grealish must turn a corner next season
As Walker mentioned, Grealish admitted in an interview with The Athletic that his most recent season at City was a difficult one for him on and off the pitch.
Having only started 10 of the 20 Premier League games he appeared in throughout the campaign, it’s understandable why Southgate picked the likes of Anthony Gordon (35 league appearances) and Cole Palmer (34 league appearances) ahead of the City man due to how prominent they were for their sides this term.
Moving forward, Grealish must use this disappointment of not being picked to represent England in the Euros as motivation to get back on track and become a regular figure for City again and eventually earn his place back in the international set-up.