There’s a good few months to go before Gareth Southgate decides on who will make up his squad for the World Cup.
Much can happen from now until then, and one or two players not in contention at this moment in time will – as is usually the case – come from nowhere to state a good claim for a seat on the plane. All this considered, we’d not blame anyone for finding it difficult to see the man Tim Sherwood is backing to head to Russia.
The man in question is Jack Grealish, who only decided he was English enough to play for England in 2015, after also being eligible for the Republic of Ireland. At that time, his performances for Aston Villa in the Premier League had prompted some to suggest that call-up to the senior squad was only a matter of time for the youngster.
Acknowledging that Grealish might now be considered “way off the scene” Sherwood, who was his manager at Villa Park, believes Grealish may not be as far off a call-up as some might think.
“What England are missing is probably creativity and to be comfortable handling the football in the centre of the park,” Sherwood explained on Sky Sports’ The Debate.
“I think Lallana will help with that, I think he’s excellent. But for these young kids coming through who have not yet made an appearance for England they’ll be thinking, ‘You know what, I haven’t got to do too much, if I can get into a first team…’.
“I use someone who I know is way off the scene at the moment, a guy I coached: Jack Grealish. Jack Grealish can handle the football, he knows what it’s like to handle the football, the ball is his friend.
“He’s a millions miles away from that, but perhaps he’s not, perhaps he’s not a million miles away if he can get himself noticed.”
