Manchester City winger Jack Grealish
Manchester City winger Jack Grealish is set to leave this summer
(Image: Getty Images)
England head coach Thomas Tuchel has told Jack Grealish what he must do to win his place back in the Three Lions squad, as the 29-year-old continues to be linked with a move to Newcastle United this summer.
The Manchester City winger is expected to leave the Etihad this summer, with speculation rife over his potential next club. Grealish has been left out of the City party for the forthcoming Club World Cup and is no part of the England squad for today's World Cup qualifier against Andorra and Tuesday night's friendly against Senegal.
Any hopes Grealish has of making the squad for next summer's World Cup will depend heavily on the winger performing well in the coming season, but to do that, he must be playing regularly.
It's a simple solution for Tuchel, who is yet to pick Grealish, although he admits he remains a big admirer of the former Aston Villa star.
"My thoughts are still the same," Tuchel said from Barcelona ahead of England's game with 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. That's basically everything. 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.
"I have spoken to him after the first international camp and very shortly after the FA Cup final but not since then."
Nine of the current England squad will be heading to the Club World Cup, but Tuchel insists no club has made any requests over playing time for the two games in the coming days.
"No one has asked me that question," he confirmed. "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.
"But no coach has called me and there was no request from the FA that a club called. We know the clubs have a lot of matches and the players go after to the Club World Cup.
"But it can also happen that some players start twice for us, but like I said, we also have an interest to see a lot of players in these two matches, so I think we will not in the end upset anyone."