JACK GREALISH admits being axed from England’s Euro 2024 squad was the most difficult moment of his career.
The Manchester City ace was ‘absolutely heartbroken’ when he was told by Gareth Southgate he had not made the squad for Germany.
But the £100million man has vowed to use the disappointment as motivation and look to get his career back on track.
Grealish struggled to get matches as Pep Guardiola’s men chased a Prem and FA Cup double over the final few weeks of last season.
But worse was to follow when he was one of the players dropped from the Three Lions provisional squad just before the tournament.
He said: “I’ll be honest it was probably football-wise the most difficult thing I’ve ever had to deal with in my career.
“I was absolutely heartbroken and then obviously when you’re on your holidays, every time you turn on the phone or turn on the TV or whatever you just see it so it was hard to not to see it.
“It was the hardest moment for me as a footballer, I’ve had a lot of ups and downs in my career so it was difficult.
“I did watch it but yeah obviously it’s difficult to watch because for me personally I was so desperate to be there and it was obviously very difficult.
“But for myself now, moving forward, I have to just try to use that as motivation going into this season.”
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Despite an indifferent season for City, Grealish felt he had done enough to earn a place in the England squad.
He said: “Myself, I felt like I should have been in the squad.
“I’m sure every person that didn’t get picked in the squad, whether that’s myself or any of the other players, would have thought the same.”
The former Aston Villa skipper played just 10 minutes in the final five matches of City’s season – as Pep Guardiola picked others ahead of him.
And he had to watch from the bench as those competing for England places took their chance to get into the head of the Three Lions boss.
Every time you turn on the phone or turn on the TV or whatever you just see it so it was hard to not to see it
Jack Grealish
He added: “Obviously it was a little bit difficult because I did have in the back of my mind that I needed to be playing to get into the England team.
“A lot of players that were in my position on the wings in the England team had really good seasons with their clubs.
“Whereas, I wasn’t really playing as much so in the back of my mind, I did think that I did need to be playing to try to definitely be in the England squad.”
By Tom Barclay
Gareth Southgate claimed that only winning Sunday’s final would earn England the respect of the footballing world.
Spain proved a last-gasp comeback too far in Berlin, but defeat did not change the fact that Southgate’s eight-year transformation put respect back into the world of England football.
Critics will pick apart his cautious tactics, his selection choices and his record in the most high-pressurised games – with some legitimacy.
Yet what is quickly forgotten is the laughing stock our national side had become before he took over in 2016.
A shambolic Euros exit to Iceland that summer had been followed up by Sam Allardyce quitting just one game into his tenure thanks to his pint of wine with undercover reporters.
Then came Southgate, with his decency, his humility, his understated eloquence and his vision for a better, different future.
He had analysed why England had so often failed in the past, from lack of preparation at penalty shoot-outs to players being bored out of their minds during major tournaments.
Southgate took those findings and implemented a culture where players wanted to play for their country again – and it led to back-to-back finals for the first time in our history.
Instead of going to war with the media, he opened his doors to them and discovered, shock, horror, that it was met, generally, with support.
It did not stop him from being criticised when required – we are no cheerleaders, here – but the vitriol of yesteryear – or today on social media – was largely gone.
No manager is perfect and neither was Southgate. We cannot pretend his teams played like those of Pep Guardiola or Jurgen Klopp.
But in the fullness of time, his feats will likely be revered because the results speak for themselves.
Hopefully his successor can go one step further and bring football home.
To do that, they must show respect to what Southgate has created and build on it, rather than rip it down.
To read more from Tom Barclay click HERE.
Now Grealish – one of only a handful of first team players on City’s US tour – has the chance to play his way back into Guardiola’s good books.
He said: “I know it’s easy to say, but I feel like me personally, the same with a lot of people, I feel like I’m best when I’m playing with confidence and playing regularly.
“When I’m at full fitness, like I was in the second half of the season where we won the treble.”
Earlier this month, Grealish and partner Sasha Attwood announced the wonderful news they were expecting a baby.
Grealish’s model girlfriend has posted a series of photos showing off her baby bump on social media.
