Jack Grealish, one of England’s top talents, has been notably left out of Gareth Southgate’s squad for Euro 2024, despite playing a key role in Manchester City’s latest Premier League triumph.
Grealish will miss the action in Germany this summer, partly due to injury setbacks throughout the season. Although he contributed to City’s fourth consecutive Premier League title, his year was marred by six missed games due to hamstring issues and other minor injuries, limiting his consistent participation.
Pep Guardiola often used Grealish as a super-sub following the arrival of Jeremy Doku, resulting in only seven complete 90-minute matches for the winger in the league. In nine games, Grealish remained on the bench entirely. His Champions League impact was minimal this season, with just two assists and no goals as City exited in the quarter-finals against Real Madrid, who later clinched the trophy.
Grealish’s international record includes 36 appearances, two goals, and eight assists, with his first major tournament goal coming in a 6-2 win over Iran during the 2022 World Cup.
Explaining his decision to drop Grealish, Southgate said: “We’re blessed with options in attacking areas, all offering something slightly different. Madders (James Maddison) and Jack give us something different as well, so they’re tough calls. We’ve gone over it and over it as staff to try and be fair. We back our decisions but we recognize we could have gone a different route. Both boys are big characters and great to work with.”
Though Grealish hasn’t commented publicly on his exclusion, he did post a photo of himself in an England kit with the caption: “Nothing better,” hinting at his disappointment.
Despite limited playtime and bench spells, Grealish’s season was still fruitful, securing the Premier League title along with the FIFA Club World Cup and UEFA Super Cup for Manchester City.
