Thomas Tuchel again decided to leave Jack Grealish out of his England squad and it looks like he will struggle to get back in the fold.
Despite an amazing start to life at Everton this season, with Jack Grealish delivering four assists and a goal in the opening 11 games, he’s still not done enough to catch Tuchel’s eye it seems.
The 30-year-old appears to have found a new lease of life on Merseyside after struggling at Man City last year. James Garner even said Grealish is one of the best players in the Premier League right now, and it’s hard to disagree.
But, Tuchel snubbed Grealish again this week, selecting Anthony Gordon in his latest England squad. It’s now more than a year since Grealish was involved on the international stage.
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David Moyes discusses Jack Grealish impact
His manager, David Moyes, has backed Grealish time and time again this term. In his matchday programme notes at the weekend, Moyes even defended Grealish for the amount of fouls he wins.
Now, in an appearance on talkSPORT Live on Monday morning, Moyes lavished more praise on his star playmaker.
He said: “Jack has been really good. he’s helped us retain the ball, upped our possession, his assists are huge. I’m driving home to him that it’s great providing assists but goals would be better. He’s given us a real strength.
“Him and Iliman Ndiaye have helped us greatly and changed the way we are. We wanted to evolve and be a better footballing team and do things better, and they’ve both given us that opportunity. But Jack is great, he’s an incredible character, he watches and listens, he loves his football.”
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And, discussing that England disappointment for Grealish, Moyes added: “Tuchel has a difficult job with the players he could select, but Jack wouldn’t let anyone down. He doesn’t give the ball away, he makes goals. He will be close to the squad but it’s not up to me.”
Jack Grealish during Sunderland v Everton - Premier League
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England snub will drive Jack Grealish to succeed
Obviously, Moyes and everyone at Everton would love to see Jack Grealish reintegrated into the England squad. Indeed, the majority of neutral fans in the country would probably like to see that.
But, there is one huge upside to this snub for Everton, and that is the fact that Grealish will fight every single week from here until the World Cup squad is announced to be a part of that team.
He’s a passionate player who loves playing for his country, and he’s also confident enough in his own ability to know that the door cannot be entirely closed for him. When Jack Grealish has a point to prove and something to play for, he’s almost unstoppable, and if Everton can feed off that energy from here until the end of the season, they could see something special.
Everton have told Grealish they want to keep him. They’ve obviously supported him through this tough time in terms of England, too, and he will not forget that in a hurry.
Come next summer when Grealish has a decision to make about his future, he will more than likely have a great affinity for Everton. If he doesn’t make it to the World Cup, there’s every chance Everton will be able to get a slightly cheaper deal, too.
So, while it may be bitterly disappointing for Grealish to miss out again, it really does feel like Everton win either way here.