Thomas Tuchel’s admiration for Grealish is no secret but the England manager admits he cannot currently select the Manchester City winger for his squad
BARCELONA — England manager Thomas Tuchel has warned Jack Grealish he can only put himself back in World Cup contention if he plays regularly next season, heaping more pressure on the Manchester City forward to find an exit route from the Etihad this summer.
Grealish will not be part of the City squad that travels to the new-look Club World Cup in the US later this month and is available for transfer this summer after tumbling out of Pep Guardiola’s plans.
There is interest in signing him in the Premier League and from overseas clubs but with £300,000-a-week wages and a hefty valuation it is going to require some negotiation and compromise to find a new club.
Milan are one of the interested clubs, while Aston Villa will almost certainly consider re-signing the 29-year-old if the terms are right.
It’s understood Grealish has some admirers at Newcastle too but that move is thought to be highly unlikely as the club prioritise other positions and ration their room for manoeuvre under the Premier League’s Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR).
DUBLIN, IRELAND - SEPTEMBER 07: Jack Grealish of England celebrates scoring his team's second goal during the UEFA Nations League 2024/25 League B Group B2 match between Republic of Ireland and England at Aviva Stadium on September 07, 2024 in Dublin, Ireland. (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)
Wages could be a stumbling block for Grealish’s admirers (Photo: Getty)
Tuchel has made no secret of his admiration for Grealish and ideally wants him to be part of his plans for next summer’s World Cup.
But having left him out of the squad in March because he lacked “rhythm”, Tuchel said his lack of game time was continuing to count against him. The message is clear: make yourself available by playing.
That has been communicated by the England boss directly. Tuchel revealed he spoke to him “briefly” after the FA Cup final loss – in which Grealish was an unused substitute as City lost to Crystal Palace – and said he has to prove that he can play “every three days” next season.
“My thoughts (on Jack) are still the same,” Tuchel said ahead of Saturday’s World Cup qualifier against Andorra.
“I love Jack for his personality and of course his talent. He is a very unique player who can handle big pressure on the field. He is never shy of pressure – it’s the opposite.
“He grows in big matches but he’s a player who needs minutes and minutes and minutes and simply does not get them for a very long time.
“Nothing has changed. I have maybe the same information as you that City are thinking of not taking him to the Club World Cup.
“So he needs to make himself available by playing. I think it’s one of his key strengths. To go every three days and get better and better with every minute that he has in his legs. That’s what is missing, nothing else.”
It is a surreal close season for Tuchel, who has overseen his England side for just eight training sessions despite being in the job for six months.
This week in Girona has been about preparing the players for humid conditions they will face in the US, Canada and Mexico next summer, but there’s little denying that the modest opposition has made it a low-key international break.
With many of the players flying out for the Club World Cup directly after the Senegal friendly on Tuesday there have been suggestions that Tuchel may rest some of his senior men for one or both of the games.
But he says that is not the case – although Bukayo Saka has only just returned from injury and may be rested, while Ollie Watkins’ injury has ruled him out of both games.
“No-one has called me to ask to rest their players,” he said.
“I said also many times, I was like 15 years I think in club football, I think I have never asked an international coach what to do and how to use the players.
“We have very limited time for ourselves. We have our very own interest also to see a lot of the players that are in camp and maybe even all of the players that are in camp, so we have an own interest to mix the teams.”
Nestled two places below Papua New Guinea in the world rankings, it is a question of how many England score against Andorra rather than what the result will be, but Tuchel says he is demanding high standards of his team.
“We demand a win and we demand a convincing win, one without doubts, this is what we demand,” he said.
“If you really demand this from yourself then it comes with responsibility and professionalism. It’s what I felt during this week. It comes down to yourself, to show you’re happy to be here, committed to what we are trying to build.
“This is exactly what I feel from the players.”