Gareth Southgate has confirmed the simple reason why Jack Grealish wasn't included in the final England squad for the European Championships.
The Manchester City star failed to make the 26-man Three Lions squad after an inconsistent season which saw his playing time reduced under Pep Guardiola at the Etihad.
In the 2023/24 Premier League season, he started just 10 matches for the eventual champions and featured in 20 overall. There were plenty of occasions when he was available from the bench but didn't even make it onto the pitch.
He scored three goals and recorded just one assist in 1002 minutes of football.
Southgate has been criticised in the past for not selecting players for tournaments based on form, but he cannot be accused of that this time, as although Grealish is a big name, his lack of playing time at City and his overall outlay when he did play has contributed to his omission.
“It is a tough call. You go over and over and over to try to be sure,” the England boss said when asked about leaving Grealish out.
“You deliberate and ask all the questions. We could have gone a different route. All players believe they should be in, that is why they are top players. They are big characters and it is sad to have to deliver the news.”
He added: “Other players had a stronger end to the season."
The players who have been included at Grealish's expense are Eberechi Eze, Jarrod Bowen and Antony Gordon, all of whom have fewer caps than the City star.
James Maddison also failed to make the squad.
England squad in full
Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton), Aaron Ramsdale (Arsenal)
Defenders: Lewis Dunk (Brighton & Hove Albion), Joe Gomez (Liverpool), Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Luke Shaw (Manchester United), John Stones (Manchester City), Kieran Trippier (Newcastle United), Kyle Walker (Manchester City)
Midfielders: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Conor Gallagher (Chelsea), Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United), Declan Rice (Arsenal), Adam Wharton (Crystal Palace)
Forwards: Jarrod Bowen (West Ham United), Eberechi Eze (Crystal Palace), Phil Foden (Manchester City), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle United), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Cole Palmer (Chelsea), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Ivan Toney (Brentford), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa)
England 
