Jack Grealish reacts to Reece James ‘joke’ in new message after England surprise
Reece James’ return to the international setup has been praised by Jack Grealish after his display for England against Latvia.
James made his first Three Lions start since September 2022 at Wembley on Monday, lining up at right-back having come on as a substitute for Kyle Walker in Thomas Tuchel’s first match against Albania.
The 25-year-old has been to hell and back in the two-and-a-half-year period since his last start against Germany, with persistent injury issues depriving both Chelsea and England of one of their best players.
James, however, made a seamless return to the international arena, scoring England’s opener to break a frustrating Latvian deadlock before Harry Kane and Eberechi Eze sealed a 3-0 victory in the second half.
Tuchel’s 20-month spell at Chelsea saw him win the Champions League with James as his starting right-back, and after Monday’s displau, that could also be the case for England at next year’s World Cup.
Reece James display sparks one-word Jack Grealish verdict
James’ opening goal in the 38th minute on Monday was a thing of beauty, nonchalantly curling home a 25-yard free-kick to break his England duck and cap off a one-sided first-half display for Tuchel’s side.
| England | Statistic | Latvia |
| 3 | Goals | 0 |
| 3.57 | xG | 0.31 |
| 8 / 27 | Shots on Target | 1 / 3 |
| 73.4% | Possession | 26.6% |
| 10 | Corners | 2 |
Having produced the high-point in terms of quality for the Three Lions, James subsequent Instagram post capturing the moment garnered plenty of reaction from his England team-mates in the comments.
Fellow starters Declan Rice and Morgan Rogers both displayed their admiration of James and his stunning strike, but the absent Jack Grealish summed up his feelings even more definitively.
Grealish’s one-word comment read: “Jowkkeeeee.”
Jack Grealish risks missing England boat after Latvia victory
While the confidence with which James struck home his first England goal after such a tumultuous period could be seen as a “joke”, that word also applies to the fact that Grealish isn’t in Tuchel’s squad.
Grealish remains the most expensive English footballer of all time despite big-money moves for Rice and Jude Bellingham in recent years, and he’s certainly lot living up to his £100million price tag at present.
The 29-year-old’s form for Manchester City has tailed off massively this season and last, to the extent that he’s made just 16 Premier League appearances this term and dropped out of England contention.
Eze also notching his first international goal will also see him solidify his place in Tuchel’s squad, and with Bellingham, Phil Foden, Marcus Rashford, Morgan Rogers, Morgan Gibbs-White and Jarrod Bowen all ahead of him too, Grealish faces a huge battle to get himself back in the running.