“It’s not ideal he’s in newspapers” – Thomas Tuchel explains Jack Grealish absence from England World Cup Qualifiers Squad | OneFootball

Thomas Tuchel has pointed to the noise around Jack Grealish off the pitch to explain the Manchester City forward’s exclusion from England’s World Cup qualifiers squad.

The Manchester City star was snubbed by Gareth Southgate from the England squad that reached the final of last summer’s UEFA European Championship in Germany, losing narrowly to Spain.

The Etihad Stadium’s record signing is expected to leave the club at the end of the season as things stand, having struggled for form and fitness since his heroics over the course of the Blues’ treble-winning 2022/23 season.

Pep Guardiola decided against calling on Grealish when City desperately need a cutting edge in attack after Callum Hudson-Odoi scored in the 83rd minute for Nottingham Forest against the reigning Premier League champions at the City Ground last week.

Jack Grealish has been up to the mark in recent Manchester City training sessions, manager Pep Guardiola has said, which could point to some minutes against Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday.

The former Aston Villa captain made the headlines when he was seen leaving a pub in Newcastle on a day off, which Guardiola said he had no problem with and that he would only judge Grealish based on his performances in training and on matchday.

However, it does seem that time is running out for the Birmingham-born forward to prove his mettle at the Etihad Stadium, given that he has only justified his signing in one of his four seasons yet in Manchester.

Grealish failed to make the cut for Thomas Tuchel’s first squad as England Head Coach announced on Friday, with Marcus Rashford earning a spot owing to his renewed form since a January loan move from Manchester United to Aston Villa.

“I love Jack Grealish. I love everything about him; his personality, his quality. The guy has courage, can take the heat, not afraid of the Bernabeu whistles when he’s on the ball, it does not affect him, it affects him only in the best way,” Tuchel said in a press conference on Friday.

He continued, “Is he a player who should be available and have an impact in our (England) squad? Yes, 100%. But lately, he simply has no rhythm and he and I agree 100%.

“He said, ‘Thomas, I’m not a start-stop player. It’s so hard for me to influence a match from the bench and be on the bench again, and two weeks later start again’.

“I’m not judging anyone, but it’s just a characteristic of Jack, he gets better with every minute. The more he plays the better he gets and then he becomes a proper machine.”

Commenting on the spotlight on Jack Grealish away from football, Tuchel added, “He has a character that can be the glue in the (England) team. But this comes with responsibility off the pitch and it’s not ideal he’s in newspapers and in public. But it’s maybe also not only his fault.

“You (the media) are happy to write about it, happy to bring it out in public. Everyone, not only you guys, has a phone. The guys are famous and public figures. This can happen.

“It’s not ideal, we want to have him more calm. No one wants to have it, but this was not the reason for not picking him. It was sporting.”