Jack Grealish must be included in England’s Euro 224 squad, according to his former boss Steve Bruce.
The Manchester City star progressed through the ranks with Aston Villa where he played under Bruce for two years as the club tried to earn promotion from the Championship.
Playing as Bruce’s captain, Grealish was Villa’s talisman which went a long way towards him earning a £100million move to Man City in 2021 after guiding his boyhood club to the top flight and safety from the drop.
Since then, the 28-year-old has won plenty of silverware including the Premier League, FA Cup, Champions League and FIFA Club World Cup with some stunning performances along the way.
But while his form this term has been less than impressive, Bruce still believes that he should be a part of Gareth Southgate‘s 23-man squad.
Asked if Grealish should be on the plane to Germany, Bruce told White & Jordan: “For me, yes.
“I’m going to because I’m a big admirer of Jack having worked with him – especially in a competition when you’re away for six weeks – you need someone like Jack to have him around the place.
“It’s not just his football ability but his personality, the way he is and the way he is around the group.
“He’s great fun and a really great lad and of course, the kid can play and offer something different which obviously others can’t, in my opinion.
“For me, he’s got to be on the plane.”
Asked the same question, Simon Jordan said: “I’m not a massive dyed-in-the-wool fan on Jack Grealish.
“I appreciate the fact that he’s a good player and I appreciate the fact that the price tag paid for him is not his fault and I appreciate that Pep Guardiola isn’t blind and doesn’t buy bad players.
“But I don’t look at Grealish in the way that others do. He doesn’t let the ball go enough, he doesn’t do things that he should and could do and isn’t as effective as people think he is and this season he hasn’t done very much.
“If you’re bringing him in because of what you think he might do – I dunno, is that that credentials for selecting someone to play for England?
“I thought you got selected based upon what you do, not what you might do and on your recent form.
“I don’t think he’s a shoo-in to be on the plane this summer. I understand why Steve would and I don’t have a particular opinion on whether he does or he doesn’t.”