West Ham midfielder Declan Rice has called Aston Villa’s Jack Grealish one of the best five players he’s played with.
Rice lavished praise on Grealish, who made a telling contribution as a substitute as England beat Germany yesterday.
Speaking to Sony Sports after the game, Rice made the big claim about the playmaker.
Rice helped England keep yet another clean sheet while Grealish set up Harry Kane’s goal which sealed the 2-0 win.
“That 90 minutes was so, so tough. A lot of people have doubted us but today you can see we’re a real threat in this competition.
“You really want to go out there and prove people wrong. To a man, we were outstanding. We were strong, solid.
“We took our chances. Jack’s Jack. We know how good he is. I put him up there with the best five players I’ve ever played with. He’s that good.
“When you’ve got someone like that to come off the bench, he’s always going to change the game and make an impact.”
Some might say that given Rice’s tender age and the fact he’s only played for one club, his praise isn’t saying much.
But considering some of the quality in the England squad and at West Ham, it’s high praise and a big claim.
Grealish is a difference maker and Gareth Southgate used him perfectly yesterday, introducing him when legs tired and the game opened up slightly.
Perhaps Grealish will start against Ukraine on Saturday, as England will expect to dominate that game more and will need quality to unlock a deep defence.
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