Aston Villa star Jack Grealish has congratulated Kalvin Phillips on Instagram after the Leeds midfielder earned his maiden England call-up today.
A lot was made of Gareth Southgate’s squad selection because Grealish was snubbed once again, to the surprise of many, whilst Phillips was rewarded for helping the Whites earn promotion to the Premier League.
Grealish’s message simply read: ‘Congratulations brother’, as Phillips expressed his delight on his own Instagram account at the call-up.
Whilst Phillips was helping his boyhood club return to the promised land after 16 years, Grealish was helping his own boyhood club maintain their top-flight status, and at times, almost single-handedly.
There’s no doubt that the Three Lions need a player like Phillips in their team because of his defensive qualities and the lack of quality Southgate has at his disposal in those areas.
It also boosts the Yorkshiremen’s chances of earning that plane ticket to next summer’s delayed European Championships, but will Grealish be on the plane with him?
Only Kevin de Bruyne created more chances than the Englishmen in the Premier League last season, and that’s some going when the Belgian is considered the best midfielder in the world right now and Grealish was playing for a side devoid of quality and fighting for their life, week in and week out.
Either way, at club level, Grealish and Phillips would be magical in the middle of the park because they would compliment each others game.
It’s now a case of whether the two can actually link up with one another on the international stage because Grealish’s chances aren’t looking too great under Southgate.
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