► SUBSCRIBE to FOOTBALL DAILY: bit.ly/fdsubscribe
On today’s FD Explained, we take a look at the talismanic Jack Grealish, who fans and pundits are hoping to see play a key role for England at Euro 2020! How did he become the player he is today?
One of the most valuable players in the Premier League and a fully fledged England international, Jack Grealish is now the footballer many hoped he’d become when he first made waves at Aston Villa as a teenager. But in many ways it’s been a long time coming. The Englishman made his Villa debut all the way back in 2014, and had to wait until the club was relegated to the Championship two years later to cement his place in the team long-term.
Similarly, it took until 2020 for him to get his first call-up for England, five years after he switched allegiance from the Republic of Ireland to the Three Lions, while tabloid attention in his early playing days painted him as a loose cannon and cast doubt over his ability to fulfil his potential.
Now 25, at his physical peak and having captained Villa for over two years, a time period in which they’ve consolidated themselves as an exciting Premier League outfit once again, Grealish has proved his doubters wrong and is gaining the kind of hype reserved only for England’s very best players.
► SUBSCRIBE to EURO FOOTBALL DAILY: bit.ly/37igEnb
► SUBSCRIBE to FOOTBALL DAILY PODCASTS: bit.ly/3moyeMO
► LISTEN TO: EXTRA TIME PODCAST: apple.co/2KaVq0K
► JOIN THE FAN RUN FD FAMILY DISCORD: / discord