Gareth Southgate’s decision to not include Manchester City winger Jack Grealish in the England squad for the 2024 European Championship was certainly a big call.
After initially being picked for the 33-man squad and providing an assist in a pre-tournament friendly match against Bosnia-Herzegovina, Grealish ended up being one of the seven players to be cut from the roster.
This decision ended up being a big talking point in the immediate aftermath, with Dean Saunders saying that he’d have taken the City winger over the likes of Adam Wharton and Kobbie Mainoo.
With two group games now played, some behind-the-scenes details have come to light regarding what the England players have now been saying about Grealish’s absence from the squad.
What the England players are now saying behind the scenes about Jack Grealish
In a recent newsletter from Miguel Delaney for The Independent, the journalist had this to say on the matter.
He said: “England have let the families join up with the players after the game, which is a great idea when things are going well. When they’re not, it offers more complications, as there are more outlets for grumbles and leaks.
“Those sat in their area for the Denmark game spoke of considerable “tension” especially as some relatives began to openly speak about their feeling Southgate is too wedded to some senior players and isn’t picking those in form.
“It is something that could grow. More players have meanwhile started to talk about how it was a mistake not to bring Jack Grealish or Marcus Rashford.”
Grealish could have been valuable for England at the Euros
Out of their two games in the tournament so far, the Three Lions have beaten Serbia 1-0 and drew 1-1 against Denmark, with their final match of the group stage seeing them take on Slovenia next week.
Bearing in mind how it was initially reported that a lot of the England players were shocked by Southgate’s decision to cut Grealish from the squad, it comes as no surprise that they now believe it was a mistake from the manager to do so.
Even though the 28-year-old admitted in an interview with The Athletic that his previous season at City was a struggle for him, he still managed to end the Premier League campaign with the joint-fourth-highest rate of shot-creating actions per 90 minutes in the City squad (4.82).
With England only scoring two goals in the tournament, perhaps Grealish’s creative ability could have helped Southgate’s side become a more dangerous attacking outfit.