Jack Grealish’s omission from England squad explained by Paul Merson in new theory

Paul Merson believes Jack Grealish's omission from England's squad for Euro 2024 was not down to his performances for Manchester City.

Despite regularly featuring for England, Grealish was left out of the 26-man squad, with Gareth Southgate making some surprise decisions ahead of the tournament. A mix of injuries and competition for places limited the City star to 20 league appearances this term, which may have cost him his England spot.

Southgate had a wealth of other attacking options to choose from, including Eberechi Eze and Jarrod Bowen, who both played in England's lacklustre performance against Denmark. Meanwhile, Anthony Gordon and Cole Palmer have not yet made it off the bench and Merson is certain that Grealish would have responded differently to being sidelined by Southgate.

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"That's why [Gordon and Palmer are] there and Jack Grealish is not there," Merson stated on his Football's Greatest podcast. "Because Jack would be, I imagine Jack would be going mad now."

"I can't imagine Gordon and Palmer saying anything. I just imagine them sitting there, thinking to themselves, 'Well, maybe I should be getting on.' I don't see them saying anything to him. I can see a Jack Grealish going to Gareth and going, 'Why am I not playing?"

Merson criticised his ex-England teammate Southgate's game plan against Denmark, particularly his decision to introduce Eze, Bowen, and Ollie Watkins in a triple substitution. With Grealish no longer an option for the Three Lions, Sky Sports pundit Merson expressed his confusion over England's