Jack Grealish knows he must keep improving for Manchester City and England to put “one of the worst summers of my life” behind him.
After his shock omission from England’s Euro 2024 squad, Grealish returned to international duty and was handed a start for Lee Carsley’s first game in interim charge against the Republic of Ireland in Dublin.
Grealish’s history as an age-group international with Ireland was a key ingredient in a febrile atmosphere for the UEFA National League match — an atmosphere that was punctured with a heavy narrative sweep from Declan Rice.
Playing as a No. 10 drifting out to the left, Grealish produced a purposeful performance and swept home a pass from Rice to make it 2-0, completing the scoring before the half hour.
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An injury sustained on the eve of the season meant Grealish only made his first start of the Premier League campaign in Manchester City’s 3-1 win at West Ham last week and he acknowledges he has plenty of work still to do.
“I need to start playing regularly, scoring goals and that’s what I did today. I still felt I’m not 100% fit-fit but I’m getting there and I’m happy,” he told ITV.
“It means everything, going to the fans and hearing them sing my name. There’s no better feeling than playing for England, especially in games like this where you know the whole nation is going to be watching you.
“It was probably one of the worst summers of my life because you can’t not see everything that’s happening in front of you. It was difficult.”
NOW IT'S GREALISH'S TURN!! 🏴
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) September 7, 2024
What a team goal by England as yet another player to formerly represent Ireland scores in Dublin 👀🇮🇪 pic.twitter.com/lELDso4kzY
After a tournament playing reactive, albeit largely effective, football under Gareth Southgate at Euro 2024, England dictated terms to an over-matched Ireland and were particularly dominant before halftime.
Grealish’s ability to carry, hold and retain possession within the final third was a vital component of this and Carsley was pleased with what he saw from his fellow Birmingham native.
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“He’s definitely not got anything to prove to us. We can see his quality. That will have done him the world of good today in terms of getting another goal for England,” he told ITV.
Speaking at the post-match news conference, Carsley added: “We knew that we were potentially going to get some spaces in wide areas. Jack’s different to a conventional No. 10. He’s capable of going into wide areas and receiving the ball but he’s also just as comfortable coming deeper. I try not to get too bogged down with positions.”
