Five reasons why Jack Grealish has been overlooked for England... Again

Another England squad and another notable absence. While there are a number of players who certainly will have fancied their chances of making the cut for the upcoming Nations League matches with Iceland and Denmark, Jack Grealish perhaps had cause to do so more than any other.

However, the Aston Villa captain has been overlooked by Gareth Southgate, again. At a time when the likes of Ross Barkley and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are injured, and James Maddison hasn't played in almost two months, this was surely Grealish's chance to impress.

While it's worth acknowledging Maddison missed the cut too, the likes of Phil Foden and Mason Greenwood have received first call ups, along with Leeds midfielder Kalvin Phillips. For very different reasons, the inclusion of such players will be pretty galling for the Villa star, and not because the trio aren't deserving of the recognition.

Here, we'll assess the potential reasons that continue to prove a road block to an England call up that so many now feel is long overdue.

Versatility isn't an asset to Southgate

When announcing previous squads in the past and asked as to why Grealish had been overlooked, Southgate's answer was an interesting and potentially decisive one. He compared the 24-year-old to the likes of Callum Hudson-Odoi and Raheem Sterling, suggesting that the Three Lions boss sees the Villa man as an out and out winger.

Of course, he isn't, but in operating primarily from the left flank this season, having played as either an eight or ten in the Championship, Grealish's versatility clearly isn't valued as an asset. Indeed, while Southgate would claim that he likes a free-flowing attack, the players are very much set in their positions within that. He won't play an attacking midfielder out wide, which is essentially what Grealish is, and the fact that the Villa man doesn't necessarily have a definitive position is arguably a deterrent to the England boss.

Lack of trust

Jack Grealish's off field behaviour is a constant talking point, and in truth, the player only really has himself to blame for re-tarnishing his reputation. While being pictured passed out on the street on a summer holiday as a teenager put him on a poor footing with the English media, reading into that particular 'disciplinary' issue is extremely harsh. Young lad gets drunk on holiday should never be a story. He has been criticised since for acts of 'debauchery', but Grealish had done a great deal of good off the pitch to restore his reputation.

However, in being charged by the police for driving without due care and attention, and failing to stop at or report a collision  during lockdown, Grealish made his biggest mistake yet. An inexcusable one, in fact, and for a player with a previous reputation, unfair or otherwise, an apparent 'relapse' was no doubt extremely damaging. It's true that a number of other England players in the squad have also been in the headlines for the wrong reasons, but tellingly those are established internationals that Southgate trusts, rather than a player knocking unsuccessfully at the door.

Unfortunate timing

While the lasting memory of Jack Grealish's season will be the goal that ultimately kept his boyhood club in the Premier League, the player himself would attest to the fact that he wasn't at his best or fittest post-lockdown, earning a modest rating of 6.96. The timing of the playmaker's excellent spells of form are crucial too. Ahead of England squad announcements, including this time last year when Grealish made a slow start to the campaign, he hasn't been at his best.

Grealish's best form came between the start of October and the New Year, earning a rating of 7.56 in that time, when in truth there were only really the November internationals to take in. He was, perhaps unsurprisingly given his luck, injured at the time.

Age now becoming a factor

Jack Grealish will turn 25 before the new Premier League season begins. To suggest he's too late or over the hill would of course be ludicrous, but the fact that Southgate is already trusting of players much younger is a big problem, and perhaps the most hurtful to the player. Southgate has proven very willing to give youth a chance and with the likes of Mason Mount, James Maddison and Phil Foden all younger than the Villa man, the fact that Grealish has no international experience will only become more of a factor in Southgate's decision.

That is Southgate's doing, of course, but even if he feels Grealish may be a better player than any one of the three right now, Southgate obviously believes they have more potential. The age of Ross Barkley and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who are both still only 26 and 27 respectively, isn't an argument as both have earned the manager's esteem and only further highlights the fact that the attacking midfield and indeed wide options are extremely competitive. On the flanks, again, Jadon Sancho, Mason Greenwood, Marcus Rashford and Callum Hudson-Odoi are all younger than Grealish.

He doesn't play for a strong team

Finally, the point many may argue is all important, Jack Grealish doesn't play for one of the 'Big 6'. Every manager in recent memory has been criticised for favouring the name of the club rather than the name of the player, but while some instances of 'big club' bias are genuinely baffling, there are of course real merits in picking from a more 'elite' pool.

For starters, having a large number of players that play together week-in, week-out is an undeniable advantage to international coaches who get very little time with their players. Perhaps more pertinently as far as a team like England are concerned is that those players tend to play a closer style of possession dominant football than a team like Villa. Grealish has played in a team like that in the club's promotion campaign from the Championship, but as they have learnt this season, the top-flight is very different. Again, that if another issue of dumb luck for the Villa star, who in keeping the club in the Premier League may well have priced himself out of a move in this window.

While one might point to the fact that teammate Tyrone Mings makes the squad once more, these reasons aren't mutually exclusive. Mings doesn't play in a position well stocked with young talent and fierce competition. When it comes to defensive and attacking players, it is usually the case that said 'big club' bias is less apparent to the former. That is also true of other players being recalled that are also older than Grealish. Their age isn't relevant to the attacker, but the age of his direct competition for places are.

One thing for certain is Jack Grealish is good enough to play for England. He hs assets few else in the squad have but they are assets that Gareth Southgate is evidently more than happy to overlook. While he remains an Aston Villa player, it's difficult to see that changing given just how many times the unquestionable talent of the player has been snubbed.