Jack Grealish’s Euro 2024 place in jeopardy with Southgate set to pick four stars ahead of him in England squad
JACK GREALISH is sweating on a Euro 2024 place after a nightmare end to the season.
The £100million star celebrated Manchester City’s four-in-a-row title success on a bus parade yesterday.
Jack Grealish’s Euro spot with England is at risk after a dud end to the seasonPA
GettyThe winger won the title with Man City but did not play a big role in clinching it[/caption]
But now he is battling with Tottenham’s James Maddison to secure a spot in Gareth Southgate’s England squad.
Cole Palmer, Jarrod Bowen and Anthony Gordon all look certain to go after excellent seasons with their clubs — while Bukayo Saka is guaranteed a spot.
But Grealish, 28, has struggled and his lack of match action for his club will be a big concern for the Three Lions boss.
The former Aston Villa captain has featured in only one of City’s final five matches.
That was a ten-minute run out in the 5-1 win over Wolves this month.
He was not thrown on at Wembley as the below-par champs desperately searched for a way back in to Saturday’s 2-1 FA Cup Final defeat to rivals Manchester United.
City boss Pep Guardiola explained his decision afterwards by admitting the attacker has “struggled” this season.
He has challenged him to recapture the form from the back end of the 2022-23 season when he helped the club secure an historic Treble.
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Guardiola said: “He will be back. He’s struggled this season — Jeremy Doku has made an incredible step forward as everyone has seen in the last games.
“But Jack will be back at the level of last season — I’m pretty sure.”
That will be reassuring for Grealish, who started only ten Prem matches this season.
However, to add to his worries, City have a deal in place to sign Brazilian wide man Savio this summer following his dazzling displays for their sister club Girona.
Meanwhile, Norwegian winger Oscar Bobb will also be pushing for more action after impressing during his brief opportunities this season.
For now, though, Grealish must focus on trying to persuade Southgate he deserves to be in the final 26-man party when it is named on June 8.
Pep Guardiola set for final Man City season
By Martin Blackburn
AFTER eight glorious years of stability, Manchester City now head into an uncertain 12 months.
And Saturday’s FA Cup final defeat to neighbours United was a reminder that this glittering and unforgettable era will not go on for ever.
Around this time in 2025, City will be preparing for the highly-lucrative Fifa Club World Cup in the US.
Yet in all likelihood they will also be getting ready to say their goodbyes to manager Pep Guardiola, who has brought so much success to the east side of Manchester.
Meanwhile, there could be a verdict on 115 charges of financial irregularity which have been levelled at the club by Premier League chiefs.
The suggestion is the hearing could start later this year but is likely to take several months to reach a conclusion.
City continue to deny any wrongdoing and are confident they will be cleared by the independent commission.
Read Martin Blackburn’s full column here.
All the players involved in the FA Cup Final will have a week’s holiday before meeting up with the rest of the 33-man squad early next week.
That means Grealish will have just a few days to convince the England chief he deserves to be on the plane to Germany.
He will be desperate to play some part in the friendlies against Bosnia on June 3 and Iceland on June 7 to remind Southgate what he can do.
Grealish’s below-par season at City had similarities to his first campaign when he found it difficult to settle following his big-money move.
But he put that behind him to become a key part of the Treble-winning squad of a year ago.
This time though he has not been trusted during a tense run-in — and it was Doku who got the nod when City needed inspiration at Wembley.
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