Former Aston Villa assistant manager Roy Keane has revealed the one thing he loves about Jack Grealish, speaking to ITV after England’s loss at Belgium in the UEFA Nations League last night.
The Three Lions couldn’t afford to lose last night’s game but did – and are now out of the competition. Despite the defeat, Grealish stole the show with a star performance.
The Aston Villa skipper has had to work hard to convince Gareth Southgate to give him a chance. The England boss had been hesitant to use Grealish, leading to stick from fans and pundits.
Now, however, it will be a shock if Southgate leaves Grealish out again. He was so good, even the usually truculent Roy Keane had some great words to say about him after the game.
He told ITV, as quoted by Birmingham Mail: “He takes risks. What I love about Jack – and I worked with him at Aston Villa – is his courage.
“Wanting the ball in tight areas, dealing with the ball, getting you up the pitch, winning free-kicks. Courage, he’s quicker than you think.
“The way he’s improved over the past six months has been fantastic. We keep talking about England winning something or getting to the next level. I think they need a player like Jack to do that. He was outstanding.”
Grealish’s stats against Belgium
Grealish had 76 touches of the ball against Belgium and completed almost 90% of his passes. He completed four out of six attempted dribbles, two key passes and won 12 out of his 14 overall duels in the game (SofaScore).
England host winless Iceland in the Nations League on Wednesday and Grealish will hope to get another start.
In the form he’s in, Grealish is likely to give Southgate even more reasons to keep him in the squad.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
