Man City star Jack Grealish in major England scare amid John Stones absence

Gareth Southgate failed to assure Jack Grealish of his place in the England squad for the European Championship ahead of Friday's deadline.

Southgate has picked a 33-man group for the summer tournament in Germany which has the Manchester City star in it, although that needs to be whittled down to a final 26-man selection by Friday. England take on Bosnia and Herzegovina on Monday evening in Newcastle to begin their preparations for the tournament and Grealish will hope for the chance to prove himself.

The former Villa man reported early for duties in an effort to secure his spot after a poor season for City that saw him largely on the bench for the run-in and requiring talks from Pep Guardiola about his future. While the 29-year-old has shown in glimpses what he is capable of this season, competition for attacking places is fierce and Southgate stopped short of confirming his plans for Grealish when asked.

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“I don’t think we’re defining that just yet. We know where we’re likely to be," he said. ‌“It’s hard to be quite so specific because we keep sitting down and saying: ‘Okay, if it’s this or this’. But then somebody else in the room says: ‘Yeah, but what about if lose that player there, or that one doesn’t come through with his injury? Do we need another one in this area?’

“Time is our friend this week. It’s worth using the time. [The Bosnia and Herzegovina match] could throw up another physical issue and then we’ve got something else in the mix. Fortunately, we’re used to dealing with all of this, we’re not worried about it.”

John Stones will sit