Gareth Southgate admitted this week he knows ten of his starting XI to face Croatia in England’s first Euro 2020 game on Sunday – the man who might just be causing him a headache is Jack Grealish.

Just a year ago, the Aston Villa star had not even made his debut for his country and now is on the cusp of a starting place.

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Grealish has made five England appearances since making his debut last year[/caption]

The 25-year-old dazzled in the two friendlies leading up to the tournament and has been compared to Paul Gascoigne, but he may fall victim to the fact there is such a wealth of attacking talent at England’s disposal.

It’s been quite the remarkable journey for the midfielder from the days spent on loan in League One as a teenager, to hitting the headlines for the wrong reasons, and becoming captain at Aston Villa.

Grealish has always had star quality, though, and those who saw him blossom at the start of his career knew he’d go far.

The midfielder spent the 2013/14 season on loan with Notts County and almost single-handedly kept them in the division.

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Grealish broke into the Aston Villa team when he was a teenager[/caption]

“He was so confident. When any new player comes into the dressing room, it’s always a bit daunting,” Jamal Cambell-Ryce, who played with him at the club, told talkSPORT.com.

“As soon as he got onto the grass, from the first five minutes, everyone could see the talent and ability he had. 

“Jack was easily the best young player and player I’ve seen live and actually played with.

“He has this gift where he just glides past players and attracts players to the ball then makes the right decision.

“We still keep in contact now. He’s a great lad and a proper boy around the dressing room. He’s got a great character about him and it’s no surprise Gareth Southgate is heavily involving him in the squad.”

Shaun Derry was managing the club in what was his first job after hanging up his boots and he admitted he had doubts about thrusting a 17-year-old into the League One environment.

But the former County boss was convinced to trust Grealish and it was a move that paid off.

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Grealish joined Villa at the age of six and rose through the ranks quickly[/caption]

“We talk about the likes of Gazza in years gone by who just wanted the ball at his feet. That was him,” Derry told talkSPORT.

“As a young manager at the time, I needed a bit of guidance from my influences around me. Greg Abbot turned around to me and said just trust him.

“Trust him as a 17-year-old. I’m thinking ‘trust a 17-year-old in League One and we’re fighting for our lives’.

“The best bit of advice I could actually take on board was that. Trust him. We trusted him so much that he kept us in the league.”

Grealish played 37 League One games that season, scoring five goals, before returning to Villa where he was determined to be a star.

He was a Villa boy through and through and that passion for the club oozes out of him on the pitch.

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Grealish stuck with the club even when they got relegated to the Championship[/caption]

But there were times when he made headlines off the pitch and that has at times affected the perception of the young man.

There were pictures of him passed out on a street in Tenerife, while also images were published in national newspapers of him inhaling laughing gas.

His dedication to football is something that cannot be questioned though. Since 2014, he’s been a first-team regular and stuck with the club while they were in the Championship when he could quite easily have moved.

Robert Snodgrass, who was at Aston Villa on loan for the 2017/18 season, gave an insight on what he was like around the training ground in an interview with talkSPORT this week.

“I’ve not seen anyone like him. He’s the closest to Gascoigne that I’ve seen. He takes it anywhere, he dribbles past people,” Snodgrass said.

“There are lots of off-field things that people have spoken about and that’s my pet hate. We speak a lot about the negatives but no one sees the work going on behind the scenes, that kid works as hard as I’ve ever seen.

“He’s in the gym 6/7o’clock every single day, he took the fitness coach Oli Stephenson, who would put him through hard, intense sessions to live in his house.”

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Grealish played for Ireland’s Under-17s, 18s and 21s[/caption]

Playing for England at a major tournament was something that might never have happened, though. 

Up until 2016, he was progressing through the Republic of Ireland youth teams and even was wanted by Michael O’Neil for the senior squad in 2015.

He was named Under-21 player of the year by the Football Association of Ireland in 2015, but announced he was taking a break from youth internationals.

Grealish knew his future was with England and made his first Under-21 appearance in 2016, but a senior call-up was not so quickly forthcoming.

There were times when it looked like it would never come and should have perhaps made several appearances before he finally made his debut last August.

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Grealish helped England Under-21s win the Toulon Tournament in 2016[/caption]

Grealish told talkSPORT last week that his dream growing up was always to represent the Three Lions at a major tournament.

“It’s something I’ve dreamt of my whole life,” he said. “During your life and career, you have goals and when you hit one you got to the next one, then you go to the next one.

“My goal was to always play for England, so when I done that at the start of the season, my next goal was to try and get in the squad for the European Championship at the end of the season.

“I’ve done that now and I don’t know what’s next. Probably to play at the Euros and score at the Euros and try and win something with the team.

“I feel like we’ve got the perfect team to do it.”

The midfielder has played 213 times for his beloved Villa
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England boss Southgate may have to play some players out of position in order to accommodate the best players in the starting XI.

That’s not something that will hold Grealish back, though, as Southgate sees the Villa man playing across the front three and not just in the role behind Harry Kane.

“We’ve got forwards who can play across the front line, so we’re not pigeon-holing Jack to the No.10, we think he can be a very effective player from the left as well,” Southgate told talkSPORT.

“He can play on the right, but less impactful in the main from that area, but I have seen him have good impact on games in that area.

“We know Jack’s strengths. He draws players, he can carry the ball up the field. He earned a lot of free-kicks for the team. He gets in dangerous areas.”

The attacking midfielder has the talent devastate opponents and is a joy to watch with the ball at his feet.

He is one of many exciting, young talents in the squad that is providing so much hope for England fans up and down the country.

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Grealish has the potential to be a star for England at Euro 2020, but will Southgate pick him to start?[/caption]

In fact, former Chelsea, Man United and Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho sees a little bit of Portugal icon Luis Figo in the England star.

He told talkSPORT: “Grealish, for me, is tremendous and what he creates and his personality – ‘give me the ball’ – he reminds me a little bit of Luis Figo.

“I don’t like making comparisons, especially with a Golden Ball winner, but Grealish reminds me of my Figo.

“Figo, I had him in different periods in my career but I had him in his last season as a player at Inter Milan and even in his last season he was like, ‘give me the ball and I will resolve the problems for you’.

“The way Grealish gets the ball and attacks people, gets fouls, gets penalties, he’s very powerful, I like him very much.”

Mourinho is a huge fan of Grealish
talkSPORT

But what next for Grealish after Euro 2020? There have been talks that Man City want to sign him this summer, alongside Harry Kane.

It is something Villa fans will not want to hear as he is a real favourite and dragged the club out of some tough situations.

Former England manager Glenn Hoddle told talkSPORT: “I think it would be a good fit for him and for City. Pep might get him playing a bit earlier and quicker, in two or three touches and perhaps he won’t like that as much, but he’s got the talent. 

“What he has got is that ability in and around the penalty area and, my word, City get in those positions more than anyone. 

“It would be a sad one for Villa fans, but it was probably going to be on the cards at some stage. Once he signed that five-year contract I felt it wasn’t for him to stay for five years but for Villa to get a top price for him.”

Whatever happens, this summer’s tournament is a chance for Grealish to showcase his undoubted talent to the rest of the world.

talkSPORT and talkSPORT 2 will have live commentary of EVERY game of Euro 2020. You won’t miss a thing as we bring you round the clock coverage, reaction and analysis from June 11-July 11. Listen online HERE.

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