Jack Grealish was coming through at Aston Villa when he represented the Republic of Ireland at the younger age levels.
Born in Birmingham, with an Irish background, Grealish had a call to make as to which country he would play for – the country of his birth or the Republic of Ireland.
With Aston Villa sitting in England’s second tier, the all-action playmaker was clear that he was going to represent England, but that still made his public enemy number two in Ireland.
Arsenal’s club-record transfer Declan Rice is public enemy number one, after he played for the nation on three occasions, but then switched to the Three Lions as soon as he started progressing in the Premier League.
Therefore, it was written in the stars for Grealish and Rice to score for England as they beat Ireland 2-0 in their UEFA Nations League opener on Saturday in Dublin.
Both players were booed every time they touched the ball, and whilst Rice didn’t celebrate his goal, Grealish made sure to enjoy his goal, especially after he was left out of England’s Euro 2024 squad this summer.
Ever since Grealish secured a £100 million transfer from Villa to Manchester City, many have bemoaned that he simply doesn’t play with any freedom or swagger, like he did at his boyhood club.
But, in Lee Carsley’s first game as interim England boss, the Grealish of old was back, that swash-buckling player who would beat players with ease and glide around the pitch.
Football journalist and Villa fan Matt Law spoke on Twitter about how Grealish was ‘loving’ life for England against the Irish.
And how ‘this is like the Aston Villa version of Grealish’ because of how Carsley deployed the Treble-winner at Manchester City.
Is the Aston Villa Jack Grealish back?
“This is like the Aston Villa version of Jack Grealish,” wrote Law. “Playing far more centrally, licence to drop deeper to pick up the ball, barely any defensive responsibility. He looks like he’s loving it.”
Jack Grealish needs to play centrally
Ever since Grealish left Villa, he has been deployed on the left by Pep Guardiola, but he is probably at his attacking and free-flowing best in the middle.
At Villa, he played both roles, mainly on the left before he departed, but the difference is that he was given the freedom to roam around, as Guardiola simply isn’t going to allow that at Man City, unless he is played in the middle.
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Watkins left the England camp, but it would have been great to see the thriving Villa hitman link up with his old club teammate again in this new attacking system.
Gareth Southgate’s system didn’t suit the attacking players, with Watkins not the only Villa player hoping for a spot in the England team in the coming months.
Morgan Rogers is knocking on that England door, but others would debate that Jacob Ramsey is far more talented, with Villa blessed to have both on board.
