What Jack Grealish posted ahead of England’s 3-0 win against Wales summed up his stand-off with Thomas Tuchel.
Strikes from Ollie Watkins, Morgan Rogers and Bukayo Saka helped England to a comfortable 3-0 victory over Wales at Wembley on Thursday as the Three Lions now look ahead to the World Cup qualifier away at Latvia on Tuesday.
There were several notable omissions from Tuchel’s squad ahead of the match, with Phil Foden, Kyle Walker, Jude Bellingham and Grealish all left out of the 24-man group that was named ahead of the international break last week.
Grealish missing out raised a few eyebrows, especially from Everton fans who have been impressed with the winger since the completion of his season-long loan switch to the Toffees.
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In seven Premier League appearances for the Merseyside club, Grealish has produced four assists and one goal – a late winner in the 2-1 win against Crystal Palace on October 5.
Despite his impressive form, the Birmingham-born 30-year-old faces an uphill task to impress Tuchel ahead of the World Cup next summer and faces competition from the likes of Anthony Gordon, Eberechi Eze and Marcus Rashford for a spot on the Three Lions’ left flank – although he is comfortable playing in a more central role.
Speaking about Grealish after leaving him out of the squad, Tuchel explained how there is “always a way back into the camp” and that the winger is “on his way to be the best version of himself”.
Grealish, who boasts 39 caps but has not played for England since October 2024, claimed that being left out isn’t “as deep as everyone says” following his winner against Palace despite maintaining that he wanted to return to the national team.
“I'm doing well also, but the people picked last month did really well in the two games, so that's fine with me,” Grealish told BBC Radio 5 Live.
"That's the manager's decision and I fully respect that."
Then last night, just minutes before England’s victory, the 30-year-old reposted an Instagram post by Everton’s official account detailing one of his own quotes.
“There’s no better feeling in life than to feel loved – Evertonians certainly make me feel like that,” the quote read.
Whether the timing of the post was a coincidence or a subtle message to Tuchel is unclear, but one thing is for sure: Grealish isn’t going to go down without a fight.
The winger is unable to play in Everton’s next Premier League match against Manchester City on October 18 due to them being his parent club, but will return to the Toffees’ line-up against Spurs on October 26.
Topics: Jack Grealish, Thomas Tuchel, England, Football, Premier League, Everton
Luke Davies