Breaking News: Kevin De Bruyne’s opinion on Jack Grealish before England axe speaks volumes

Discussions within and outside the camp have been sparked by Gareth Southgate’s decision to keep Manchester City player Jack Grealish out of the Three Lions squad for Euro 2024.

Kevin De Bruyne felt Jack Grealish offered something unique to England (Image: Offside via Getty Images)

The “creative problems” that Manchester City star Kevin De Bruyne thought Jack Grealish would take care of for him now need to be addressed by England boss Gareth Southgate.

Discussions have been sparked both inside and outside the camp by the decision to leave Grealish off of the Three Lions roster for Euro 2024. According to reports, his international teammates were taken aback by the call, and one senior player even apparently spoke with the management about it.

According to reports, the Germany national team was taken aback by this development since they were more concerned about Grealish’s ability to handle the ball than about the players competing for his spot on the aircraft. Currently, Southgate is counting on players like Jarrod Bowen, Eberechi Eze, and Anthony Gordon to step up and cover for him.

In 2020, following their match in the Nations League and prior to their partnership at Manchester City, De Bruyne singled out Grealish. “I rate him very highly,” the Belgian stated, praising his talent.

“He’s someone I brought up earlier, in a chance discussion with my teammates at City. He adds something to a team; in England, midfield creative issues were discussed. He merits a chance.”

It’s unclear what effect Grealish’s absence will have, if any, on England’s performance as the Euros draw near. Nemanja Matic, a former midfielder for Manchester United, is, however, a little happy that Serbia won’t have to face him in their first group game.

“I would always like to have players like @MarcusRashford and @JackGrealish in the team – players who can decide the game with one move,” Matic, who retired from international duty in 2020, wrote on X/Twitter. Not picked; excellent news for us.”

The England manager, Gareth Southgate, discussed his decision to bench attackers Grealish and James Maddison, citing form as a key consideration. Eze, Gordon, and Bowen—his top choices—all had better seasons in the second half.

“The fact is we have some players who have been playing extremely well in the league all season, and we just feel other players have had stronger seasons, particularly in the past six months or so,” Southgate said in his explanation.

“We have a plethora of attacking alternatives at our disposal, each providing a little something unique. 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.”