Jack Grealish future uncertain as England star reacts to ‘legend’ manager exit
Jack Grealish faces more uncertainty over his future with England after the exit of Lee Carsley as interim boss.
Carsley has stood in as England manager over the last three international breaks, after Gareth Southgate stepped down in the summer at the end of Euro 2024.
During his six games in charge, he guided the Three Lions to five wins, with Sunday night’s 5-0 thrashing of the Republic of Ireland (17 November) securing top spot for England in their Nations League group.
That secured an immediate promotion back to the top level of the competition, and was the perfect way for Carsley to end his spell in temporary charge, leading to tributes from several players.
Sending a message to the 50-year-old via his Instagram story after that victory over the Republic of Ireland, Grealish wrote: “What a guy and manager! Absolute legend and thank you for bringing back the enjoyment in an England shirt”.
Jack Grealish right to praise Lee Carsley for England managerial stint
Football Insider Opinion
Carsley can certainly hold his head when he reflects on what he has done since taking charge of England following Southgate’s departure.
With the exception of that one ill-fated experiment against Greece, everything he has done has delivered the required results.
The main priority for the Three Lions during this Nations League campaign will have been to deliver promotion at the first attempt, and Carsley has done that.
Not only can that be considered an immediate success, but it should also help England when it comes to World Cup qualifying.
He has therefore, laid some strong foundations for Thomas Tuchel once he takes over, and that is the case when it comes to the number of young players he has given opportunities too.
Grealish’s reference to putting enjoyment back into an England shirt, may give an interesting insight into the differences between Southgate and Carsley’s management of the national team.
It may also raise some questions about what might come next for the Man City winger in an England shirt, now that Tuchel is set to step into the role.
Under Carsley, Grealish was a regular for his country. Although he was one of those who somewhat controversially withdrew from this squad for fitness reasons, he previously started three out of four games under the 50-year-old.
In that time he scored in wins over the Republic of Ireland and Finland, so it is no surprise he enjoyed international football in that period.
That is in stark contrast to his record for the Three Lions under Southgate. Grealish was rarely a regular starter under Southgate, and struggled for opportunities in major tournaments in particular.
He was left out of the squad for the Euros this summer, while all five of his appearances in the World Cup in 2022 were as a late substitute.
Given managers are always going to have their own view on things, it remains to be seen if Tuchel will look on Grealish like Southgate or Carsley, once he takes charge of England.
As a result, the Man City man faces another nervous wait to see what the future might hold for him in a Three Lions shirt.
Since this is coming on the back of a period with the national team he has clearly enjoyed, he will likely now be feeling the pressure to prove to Tuchel, that he should still be in contention for selection.
All of that should make Grealish’s form over the next few months particularly interesting for England fans, given there can be no doubt how good he is when at his best.
In other news, England fans have given their verdict on whether Carsley should have been appointed permanent manager.
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