Aston Villa’s Jack Grealish has been in tremendous form over the past two seasons and many experts believe he is going to be the main playmaker for England in the European Championship.
Grealish was once again the star performer for Aston Villa this season, scoring six and assisting 12 goals in 26 Premier League games and had it not been for his injury setback in the second half of the campaign, the playmaker’s numbers would have been even better.
Jack Grealish usually plays down the left wing for Villa but since Rashford or Sterling will be playing in that role, the 25-year-old has been tipped to become the No 10 for England at the Euros. Grealish as the link will obviously be a great idea but according to Danny Mills, Chelsea’s Mason Mount and Man City’s Phil Foden have a better chance at playing in that role.
Mills said, as quoted by Football365: “He’s a fantastic talent, we all know that, we saw that in his performance last night.
“He’s different to a lot of those English players, he’s a ball carrier. We don’t have too many of those. Phil Foden is possibly the most similar to him. He (Grealish) had his injury problems at the back of last season but we know he’s got talent. He’s just got to keep himself fit now.
“Those forward positions in the squad are the most competitive they’ve been, probably forever. There are so many good players in those positions, vying for three or four places.
“Foden plays, it’s just where he plays. Does he play as the 10? Does he play wide on the right-hand side like he does for Manchester City?. Can he play alongside Harry Kane in a two. Mason Mount can play anywhere in that midfield, apart from Declan Rice’s role.
“Foden and Mount are two of our best players and they’re both in fantastic form. They both play, it’s just where, and it comes down to formation.
“So much of that depends on Harry Maguire’s fitness. If he’s ready to play, it’s probably a back four. If he’s not, you have to go to a back three and that changes things around. The midfield and going forward, there is an abundance of talent. If they play well, England have got a great chance of scoring goals.
“But to win anything, you have to have a fantastic defence. You’ve got to keep clean sheets.”
Will Jack Grealish be the first-choice playmaker for England?
Mason Mount won the Champions League with Chelsea while Phil Foden was a finalist with Man City in the same tournament. So obviously there’s both these players have really sparkled for their respective clubs this season.
Mount has scored six goals in the Premier League while Foden has racked up nine for City. But despite what Danny Mills thinks, we have a feeling Gareth Southgate is going to trust Jack Grealish in that No 10 role.
Yes, Mount and Foden are world class players but both of them are still young and to play in that link role for the national team, you not only need talent but you also have to have a steady head on your shoulders.
Jack Grealish has been carrying Aston Villa for a couple of years now so he is much more adapted to playing under pressure than Mason Mount or Phil Foden.
Looking at the numbers, Jack Grealish not only has better goals and assists return in the league but he has also made the most number of key passes per game(3.1) in comparison to Foden and Mount.
Stats courtesy Whoscored.
