In the aftermath of setting up Harry Kane’s first goal of the Euros, Jack Grealish has heaped praise on his captain and called Gareth Southgate a brilliant manager.
Harry Kane’s slow start to his UEFA Euro 2020 campaign put him under the scanner for criticism. Raheem Sterling was England’s sole goalscorer up until the last game. Kane bagged the all-important second goal to kill off Germany and set up England’s semi-final date with Ukraine. The player who set up the goal was Jack Grealish.
In each of the last four games, fans have been vigorously calling on manager Gareth Southgate to unleash Grealish, with the Aston Villa captain starting only the final group game. However, when England needed inspiration against Germany, Grealish came off the bench to play a key role in both goals, including bagging the assist for Kane’s strike.
The 25-year-old has been speaking to Sky Sports ahead of the Ukraine clash and took the opportunity to shed light on Harry Kane’s influence on the team. Grealish was obviously full of praise for his captain, hailing his ‘unbelievable’ ability.
Grealish said, “It is obviously good. To get his first one, he will be buzzing, but no one in there would ever doubt Him. He is the best player I have ever played with. He is unbelievable. He is an unbelievable professional on and off the pitch.”
"There are players from the past who just scored goals, goals, goals. In my opinion he will break the Premier League one and the #ENG one but he is not just a goalscorer. He is unbelievable."
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) July 2, 2021
“When you see him around the place, this is why he is England captain. The thing that sticks out is that he is not just a goalscorer. Like when he drops deep and finds passes and puts it through people’s legs. He is obviously unbelievable, and I am buzzing for him that he has obviously got the first goal, and hopefully for all of us, there are many more to come.”
Kane opened his account against Germany, and going by what Grealish said, it may just be the start needed by the Tottenham striker, linked with Chelsea, Manchester United and Manchester City in recent times. With England travelling to Rome for the Ukraine clash, Grealish and the rest of England will hope their captain will come good and help his side into the semis.
Grealish did not just stop there; he was also full of praise for his manager Gareth Southgate. At the same time, as quoted by Goal, he quashed all theories suggesting a problem between the two. Rather, he offered a justification for some of Southgate’s decisions which have left the fans baffling.
He said, “Plenty of cuddles. Nah, he’s been perfect with me. I see some stuff sometimes about Gareth and me, but we have a great relationship. He does with all the players. He’s a brilliant man-manager. You have got six players that play either side of Harry [Kane] that, in reality, could play for most clubs in the world.
“Myself, Jadon [Sancho], Marcus [Rashford], Raheem, Phil Foden and Bukayo [Saka]. It’s scary how good we six are. That’s not being big-headed or nothing. That is just the truth. He can’t play all six of us, but one thing he’s done really well makes people think that they are still involved. He still speaks to everyone on a daily basis.”
While it’s clear that Grealish loves playing for his country under Southgate, the unclear part is if the Aston Villa captain will start against Ukraine. Either way, the calls to include him on the team sheet will only grow louder as the quarter-final tie approaches.
