Looking to cement my place in Gareth Southgate’s England squad, admits Jack Grealish

A lot of criticism and outcry from England fans all across the world saw Gareth Southgate make changes to his last international squad. While the changes were enforced, due to injuries and various other issues, it saw Jack Grealish find himself on the England squad for the first time in a long time. The Aston Villa captain eventually made his long-awaited debut for the Three Lions last month and was handed his first senior start recently.

It saw Grealish transform the English side with him dictating play and walking away with an assist to his name but the 25-year-old has bigger goals. In a recent interview, the Villa captain admitted that he’s looking to “cement” his place in the England squad and it doesn’t matter where he plays. Grealish added that he knows England have a lot of “talent in the wing positions” but he “couldn’t care less where” he plays.

“Everyone knows one of my long-term goals was to get into the England squad and play for England. Now that I am here, I want to cement my place. I was absolutely desperate to come here. Wherever I am on the pitch, I will play. I couldn’t care less where I play. There is so much talent in the wing positions and it will be difficult to get into those positions,” Grealish told the Guardian.

"I have full respect for those guys and the numbers they have got. But I also have respect for how much ability I have got. In the last two or three years, I have played half my games on the wing and half my games as a No 8 or No 10. I fully believe that I can do both going forward.'