Sport

England’s Forgotten Artist: Will Jack Grealish Ever Get His Recall?

Jack Grealish has made an excellent start to life on loan at Everton, with four assists and one goal in his first seven Premier League games. It is hardly surprising to anybody familiar with the 30-year-old’s qualities, but after a difficult spell at Manchester City, he needed to enjoy his football again and David Moyes has given him the freedom to find his smile again.

It is quite ironic that Moyes is proving a better fit for Grealish than Pep Guardiola, given their reputations for polarising philosophies. Moyes likes his teams to be hard to beat first and foremost before taking chances on the counter attack; traditionally, Guardiola’s teams dominate the ball and attempt to create chances from different avenues on the pitch. Surely the latter would be more ideal to get the most from a playmaker like Grealish? Not exactly.

While it is true Guardiola has always been among the world’s most attack-minded coaches, his teams are often very regimented, with specific instructions of how to break teams down. City, in particular, passed and moved with great efficiency, which restricted Grealish’s strength as a free spirit, a dribbler who can do something out of the ordinary and unplanned. Many thought Guardiola had a negative impact on Grealish’s game, not allowing him to play his best football.

Moyes, meanwhile, has given Grealish more license to create. Although his Everton team are more defensive on the whole, he allows Grealish to be the attacking outlet and he thrives with the sort of responsibility he first enjoyed at Aston Villa but was never truly given at City. On the evidence of his career to date, Grealish is more suited as a bigger fish in a small pond. His time with City was fruitful; he won three Premier League titles and a Champions League, but there always felt like a part of him was missing.

Grealish was always likely to move this summer, and it was well anticipated. Almost immediately, even before he had a chance to really settle at Everton, there were calls for him to return to the England squad. Although he has never really been a mainstay in the national team, winning 39 caps since making his debut in 2020, he has been a fan favourite, seen as the sort of player who can unlock a tight defence when England are lacking inspiration.

He played that role brilliantly at Euro 2020, but was left out of Gareth Southgate’s final squad at Euro 2024, and Thomas Tuchel has so far resisted his recall. In truth, September always felt a little early, but not selecting him for Thursday’s win over Wales or the upcoming World Cup qualifier against Latvia felt a little more pointed.

There are few players in his position in better form right now. Cole Palmer will be out until November with a persistent groin problem, while Phil Foden and of course Jude Bellingham are also absent. Yet, Morgan Rogers scored on Thursday despite a slow start to the season at Villa, with Morgan Gibbs-White sat on the bench. Anthony Gordon appears to be Tuchel’s preferred choice on the left, meaning Grealish will find it tough to get into the side, especially if and when Tuchel has a full compliment to choose from.

The current crop of England stars is an embarrassment of riches, especially in the creative area of the pitch. It is not the first time there has been such depth in one or two positions; in the 1990s, despite Alan Shearer being the undisputed number one striker, Andy Cole, Ian Wright, Les Ferdinand, Robbie Fowler and Teddy Sheringham were just a few of the options in reserve. Similarly in the 2000s, Jonathan Woodgate, Ledley King and Jamie Carragher were constantly pressuring Rio Ferdinand, John Terry and Sol Campbell at centre back.

Like Grealish, though, none of those in reserve had stellar internatonal careers.

But for all Grealish’s wonderful performamces at Everton, and they are genuinely noteworthy, it may never be enough to truly get his England career back on track. The queue has arguably never been longer, and he may well fall victim.