Jack Grealish hopes to take his England performances back to Manchester City

Jack Grealish hopes to transfer the freedom he feels in an England shirt to Manchester City having admitted he “played a bit safe” at times following last year’s £100million switch.

The 26-year-old established himself as a Three Lions fan favourite last summer thanks to his swagger and fearlessness on the pitch and down-to-earth nature away from it.

Grealish helped Gareth Southgate’s men reach the Euro 2020 final before City made him the most expensive English player in history, triggering the eye-watering buyout clause at boyhood club Aston Villa.

The attacking midfielder ended his first season at the Etihad Stadium as a Premier League champion but many of his club performances lacked the pizzazz shown in his 20 minute cameo in Tuesday’s 1-1 draw in Germany.

Grealish’s name was chanted by the away fans before his introduction at the Allianz Arena, where the substitute injected new life into Southgate’s side.

“That’s what the manager asked me to do – go on and be myself and try and create and that’s what I did,” he said.

“I feel sometimes when I’m here I can try and play with as much freedom as possible. I felt like I did that today.”

Asked if he has played with more freedom for country than club, Grealish said: “I do think that, yeah. I feel at times I’ve played a bit safe at City but when I come here I feel like even in training I feel like I train really well, score goals, get assists and whatnot.

“When I come on the pitch… it’s hard to explain. I do feel like I play with a lot more freedom here and hopefully I can transfer that into my club football and keep on improving.”

Ever honest Grealish acknowledges the differences under “more structured” Pep Guardiola at City and Southgate’s England, but believes the answer