Jack Grealish Reflects On Omission From England’s Euro 2024 Squad

Manchester City forward, Jack Grealish has opened up about the emotional impact of being left out of England’s Euro 2024 squad.

Jack Grealish, 28, described the experience of not being included in the final 26-man squad selected by manager Gareth Southgate for the Euro 2024 as the most difficult challenge he has faced in his career.

Reflecting on the time leading up to the tournament, Grealish revealed the difficulty of being constantly reminded of the event whenever he checked his phone or watched television during his holiday.

As a player with 36 England caps, he admitted that the omission was incredibly tough to handle from a footballing perspective, emphasizing the personal impact it had on him.

“When you are on your holidays, every time you turn on the phone or the TV you just see it [the tournament], so it was hard not to see,” Grealish told reporters during City’s pre-season tour of the United States.

“I’ll be honest, football-wise it was the most difficult thing I’ve ever had to deal with in terms of my own career.

“I was absolutely heartbroken. For myself now moving forward, I have to just try and use that as motivation going into this season.”

Grealish, who made a high-profile move from Aston Villa to Manchester City in a record-breaking transfer worth £100m in August 2021, expressed his belief that he could have contributed something unique to the England squad who finished second in the tournament.

Despite feeling that he deserved a place, he has accepted the outcome and is now focused on using this setback as a source of motivation for the upcoming season.

“I felt I should have been in the [England] squad,” he said.

“I feel like I offer something different to players in the England squad.

“But it is what it is.

“As I said, it was the hardest moment for me as a footballer. I’ve had a lot of ups and downs in my career.”