Jack Grealish has been left out of the latest England squad for Euro 2024, with Gareth Southgate explaining his decision to omit the Manchester City winger this month
Jack Grealish won’t be gracing the pitch in Germany this summer as Gareth Southgate omitted him from the England squad for Euro 2024 – with injury troubles throughout the season being a contributing factor.
The Manchester City winger enjoyed yet another Premier League-winning season as City clinched a fourth consecutive title. However, Grealish’s performance this season haven’t reached new highs as he was sidelined for six matches due to hamstring issues.
Additional minor injuries further disrupted his campaign, rendering him unavailable for consistent runs in the starting line-up. City manager Pep Guardiola also chose to utilise Grealish as an impact substitute for much of the season following the signing of Jeremy Doku, resulting in Grealish playing only seven full 90-minute games during the league season – and he didn’t even make it off the bench nine times in the Premier League.
Grealish didn’t increase his goal tally in the Champions League this season either, registering just two assists before City succumbed to defeat against Real Madrid on penalties in the quarter-finals with the Spanish side going on to claim the trophy against Borussia Dortmund at Wembley.
In his 36 appearances for England, Grealish has netted twice and provided eight assists with his first goal in a major international tournament coming in a remarkable 6-2 victory over Iran during the 2022 World Cup.
Southgate discussed his decision to leave Grealish out of the squad this time, saying: “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 recognise we could have gone a different route. Both boys are big characters and great to work with.”
Grealish himself has not publicly commented on his England omission. However, he did share a photo of him playing for his country with the caption, “Nothing better” – subtly expressing his disappointment about not heading to the Euros.
Despite limited league appearances and mostly being a substitute this season, Grealish had an impressive season with City securing the title along with the FIFA Club World Cup and UEFA Super Cup at the beginning of the season.