Former Aston Villa defender and current England U-21 manager, Gareth Southgate, has given his backing to Jack Grealish ahead of the Toulon Tournament in France.
Grealish, who was born in England, had represented the Republic of Ireland throughout the various age groups, including making six appearances for their U-21 side.
However, after a year of uncertainty about his future at international level, Grealish declared himself for England in September 2015.
Southgate, who played for Villa for six years, was appointed as England U-21 manager in 2013 and has named Grealish in his U-21 squad for the first time.
Speaking to Villa’s website, Southgate said:
It’s very exciting and we’re really looking forward to working again with the lads that have been with us and a bit more with the likes of Jack, who haven’t been with us, and a couple of others who haven’t had as much game time.
It’s a really good opportunity for us to work with Jack and for him to see how we work.
Furthermore, Southgate also acknowledged that Grealish had endured a difficult season, with injuries and disciplinary issues meaning that Grealish has missed a large portion of the season.
It’s been a frustrating season for him, but he’s made a big commitment to us in transferring across and I think it’s important that we acknowledge that.
Everything now is up to Jack, he recognises that there’s a good challenge because of the quality of players that we’ve got so we’re looking forward to working with him.
England will face Portugal, Guinea, Paraguay and Japan at the Toulon Tournament, with Gareth Southgate’s side getting their campaign underway against Portugal on the 19th May.
