Breaking News: Gareth Southgate U-turned on Jack Grealish for England after ‘brutally honest’ remark

Gareth Southgate left Jack Grealish out of his final 26-man England squad this week (Image: CHRISTOF STACHE/AFP via Getty Images)

Despite being a longtime admirer of the midfield player, Gareth Southgate did not include Jack Grealish in his final 26-man England team for the forthcoming Euros. The Three Lions manager

When selecting his England team for the Euros, Gareth Southgate made some controversial choices, the most notable of which was his unexpected choice to leave Jack Grealish off the roster.

The hero of Manchester City, who cost £100 million, was possibly the most well-known person to be turned away from a flight to Germany this summer. He excelled at both the Euro 2020 and the 2022 World Cup. This is true even though Southgate has previously acknowledged being a “huge fan” of Grealish, even when the former Aston Villa player isn’t performing at his peak, which the 2023–24 season was undoubtedly one of those times.

Nevertheless, he acknowledged that the midfield player was frequently “brutally honest” about his performances and that this candour often had a negative impact on his confidence and form. “I think he’s a bit hard on himself sometimes,” Southgate remarked prior to England’s October 1-0 victory against Australia.

He continued by praising Grealish as a “fabulous talent” and pointing out that players with his calibre, like as James Maddison, another England reject, were helpful to have around because they “see the world differently”.

After a span of eight months, Maddison and Grealish are still living at home. Southgate gave the following justification for his choice to pass on the two players: “We’re blessed with options in attacking areas, all offering something slightly different.” These are difficult decisions because Madders and Jack offer us something distinct as well.

“As staff, we’ve gone over it numerous times in an effort to be fair. Although we support our choices, we acknowledge that there was another option. These lads are fantastic to work with and have big personalities.”

Despite having 36 caps for England, Grealish has only played in two of the previous six games for the Three Lions. And as Southgate hinted at, he has an envy-worthy collection of excellent attacking alternatives at his disposal, with the last selections going to Jude Bellingham, Eberechi Eze, Jarrod Bowen, Cole Palmer, Phil Foden, and Joshua Gordon.

After learning that he had been left off of the squad, Maddison vented his annoyance on X and then wished the team well in the Euros. “It’s not quite devastated enough,” he wrote. “I trained hard and worked hard all week, but to be honest with myself, I definitely wasn’t playing at the levels I had set for Spurs in the second half of the season when I returned from injury, so Gareth had to make a decision.

“Even though I feel I provide something unique to the team and have been a fixture throughout this entire Euro 2024 qualifying campaign in Germany, I still felt there would be room for me in a 26-man squad, but I have to accept the manager’s decision.

“I have no doubt that I will return. I’m wishing the boys in Germany the best of luck possible. They are an amazing group of guys that I can honestly say are some of my closest friends. Sincerely, I hope football returns home.” The final squad also included Jarell Quansah, Curtis Jones, James Trafford, Harry Maguire, and Jarrad Branthwaite.