PAUL MERSON REVEALS WHY HE BELIEVES JACK GREALISH WAS CONTROVERSIALLY AXED FROM ENGLAND'S EURO 2024 SQUAD... AS HE INSISTS THE THREE LIONS HAVE 'NO PLAN' UNDER GARETH SOUTHGATE
- Paul Merson explained why he thinks Jack Grealish was left out for Euro 2024
- Man City winger was axed as Gareth Southgate named his final 26-man squad
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Paul Merson has revealed why he believes Gareth Southgate left Jack Grealish out of his England squad.
Despite not reaching the heights of previous campaigns at Manchester City last season, the winger was still expected to be named in England's squad for Euro 2024.
However, when Southgate whittled his team down to 26 players for the tournament, Grealish joined James Maddison as notable omissions with Southgate preferring the likes of Jarrod Bowen, Cole Palmer and Anthony Gordon.
Grealish's absence reportedly came as a surprise even to his England teammates, with one senior player said to have confronted the England boss regarding his decision.
Despite currently sitting unbeaten at the top of Group C, England and Southgate in particular have come under fire for lacking an attacking impoteus in their first two games of the tournament.
Speaking following England's toothless draw with Denmark, Merson revealed he thinks Grealish was left at home to avoid conflict in the dressing room.
'What's Anthony Gordon and Cole Palmer thinking?' The Arsenal legend said on the Football's Greatest podcast. 'They've not had one minute of football after one and a half really poor performances, and that's why they're there.'
'Jack Grealish, he's not there because I imagine Jack would be going mad. Now, I can't imagine Gordon and Palmer saying anything. I just imagine sitting there just saying to themselves, "maybe I should be getting on."
'I don't see them saying anything to him. I could see a Jack Grealish going to Gareth and going, "Why am I not playing?"'
Merson added that he did not understand Southgate's decision to bring Jarrod Bowen on as England were searching for a winner on Thursday.
'Bowen's all right, if you want to keep a lead, if we're winning.' Merson continued.
'You put him out on the right. He'll do what he says on the tin. He'll get up and down, he'll block crosses, get crosses in. But you don't put him on to go and win a game, in my opinion.
'There's horses for courses. You have got to put Palmer on. He scored 20 goals this season. He can play with that bit of flair.
'Eze gets on, he doesn't touch the ball hardly. There's no plan. I would play Watkins, but I'd have to keep Kane in the team. I'd have to find a way to keep Kane in the team. Because you've got to keep world class players on the football pitch.'
Read more 2024-06-23T13:21:22Z dg43tfdfdgfd