Jack Grealish Aims for England Recall After Dramatic Win

Jack Grealish Aims for England Recall After Dramatic Win

Jack Grealish Aims for England Recall After Dramatic Win

Referee Michael Salisbury had just blown the full-time whistle to confirm Everton's dramatic late victory over Crystal Palace when the Toffees updated their bio on X.

Underneath the club's iconic badge were the words: "Grealish for England."

It has been nearly a year since Jack Grealish last donned the England shirt, playing in a 3-1 Nations League win against Finland in Helsinki under interim manager Lee Carsley.

Grealish, now 30, will have to wait longer to represent his country again, having been omitted from Thomas Tuchel's latest squad for an upcoming friendly against Wales on Thursday, followed by a World Cup qualifier in Latvia on October 14.

Nonetheless, one thing is clear: Grealish is doing everything he can to earn a spot in Tuchel's plans for next summer's World Cup.

After contributing four assists in his first six Premier League matches for Everton, Grealish scored the winning goal in the 93rd minute, sealing a comeback victory after Dean Henderson had denied Beto from close range.

Timed at 92 minutes and 21 seconds, it marked Everton's latest home Premier League winning goal since March 2022 against Newcastle, which was scored at 98 minutes and 20 seconds.

“Do you know what’s mad?” Grealish said in an interview with Sky Sports following the match. “In our last few games here, we’ve been drawing, and I told myself in the 85th minute, ‘Come on Jack, go and score. Imagine if you scored now.’”

“I said it against Aston Villa, and I didn’t score. I said it against West Ham, and I didn’t score. Today, I said the same thing again, and I scored. I ran to where my mum and dad were; it was nice.”

Not Playing for England Isn't Deep

Sunday's match was Grealish's last for three weeks, having achieved six consecutive Premier League starts for the first time in nearly two and a half years.

He will be ineligible to face his parent club, Manchester City, when Everton resumes play after the international break on October 18.

With just 249 days until the World Cup begins, the question remains: Will Grealish be on the England squad?

“You know what? I don’t think it’s as deep as everyone says,” he told BBC Radio 5 Live after the Palace match. “At the end of the day, you want to play for the national team, but people are performing well in my position. I’m doing well, too, but the players selected last month did really well in their two games, so that’s fine with me. That’s the manager’s decision, and I fully respect that.”

Grealish added, “I’m focused on playing for Everton because they trusted and believed in me, so I’m really enjoying it here.”

Former England striker Wayne Rooney commented to BBC Sport that Grealish's current form for Everton would likely give Tuchel a “headache.”

“All Jack can do is keep doing what he’s doing, obviously getting a goal today,” said Rooney, who scored 53 goals in 120 appearances for England. “If he continues to play like this, he will be in contention come summer. If Jack plays, his talent will shine, so I’m sure he’ll give the England manager something to think about.”

Johnny-on-the-Spot

Tuchel has indicated that the door remains open for Grealish, who has 39 caps and four goals for England, regarding the upcoming World Cup.

“There is always a way back into the camp,” the England manager stated on Friday. “Jack knows that I recognize how influential he is for Everton and that he is on his way to becoming the best version of himself.”

In the seven Premier League matches since joining Everton on a season-long loan from Manchester City, Grealish has played 556 minutes, contributed to five goals, created 17 chances, and taken 10 shots.

“Jack’s done great again,” said Everton manager David Moyes after the team’s first win since August 30. “I have been pushing him to get goals. He is Johnny-on-the-spot.”

Moyes noted that Grealish had missed some training during the week due to a minor injury, adding, “He has had to miss the odd day of training, but he is doing a lot of good things.”

Grealish was not the only player omitted from Tuchel's England squad who scored this weekend; Marcus Rashford netted for Barcelona in their 4-1 loss to Sevilla, while Mason Mount scored in Manchester United’s 2-0 victory over Sunderland on Saturday.

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