Manchester City star’s Euro omission shocks major England rival ahead of tournament

The omission of Manchester City’s Jack Grealish from the England squad for this summer’s European Championship has caused ‘shock’ amongst rival nations.

The 28-year-old was axed from Gareth Southgate’s squad for the tournament in Germany, with the Manchester City forward dropped alongside James Maddison, Harry Maguire, Curtis Jones, James Trafford, Jamal Quansah and Jarrad Branthwaite.

Grealish failed to make the 26-man England squad for the European Championship despite being named in a 33-man training squad and returning to St George’s Park early, in an attempt to prove himself to Three Lions staff after an underwhelming campaign.

The Manchester City star struggled throughout the 2023/24 season, with the Englishman having failed to feature for Pep Guardiola since early May, as well as having made just 26 starts over the course of the campaign.

Grealish has 36 caps for England and assisted during a cameo appearance against Bosnia and Herzegovina at St James’ Park on Monday evening. The forward was also key to Manchester City’s treble success in 2023 and England’s Euro campaign in 2021.

The omission of the £100 million signing has raised eyebrows, with teammates within the England camp having reportedly been ‘shocked’ by Southgate’s selection decision.

According to journalist Miguel Delaney, the decision to axe Grealish from the 26-man travelling squad also caused ‘shock’ amongst the Germany camp, who were ‘stunned’ by Southgate’s decision.

German players believe that the 28-year-old ‘provokes a fear’ which isn’t matched by Crystal Palace’s Eberechi Eze, who was one of the attackers retained ahead of the Premier League champion.

Germany are the host nation and could face England at some stage during the tournament, dependent on results during the group phases.

Manchester City trio John Stones, Kyle Walker and Phil Foden were all retained for the competition in Germany, with England’s first match coming against Serbia on Sunday 16th June.