Gabby Agbonlahor has claimed that an England superstar was left shocked after Jack Grealish was left out of his nation’s squad for the European Championship.
Despite a player of Grealish’s ilk’s absence, the Three Lions still managed to go as far as to the final before Spain outclassed them and won Euro 2024.
The Manchester City winger admitted that being axed from England’s squad for the tournament was the “hardest moment” of his professional career.
Gareth Southgate had relied on the £300,000-a-week man’s creativity and liveliness off the bench in previous tournaments.
But Southgate made the bold decision of leaving one of his country’s most talented players at home.
Gabby Agbonlahor shares how Harry Kane reacted after Jack Grealish was left out of England Euro 2024 squad
More importantly, being at City for three years, Grealish has become a seasoned winner.
The 28-year-old knows what it takes to be a part of winning environment and competing in high-stakes affairs.
However, it seems like the former Aston Villa attacker’s lack of regular starts for the Sky Blues last season meant Southgate felt he could pick other players instead of him.
Gabby Agbonlahor has revealed that Harry Kane was one of the players in the England squad who was shocked after Grealish was excluded from his country’s 26-man roster for Euro 2024.
The pundit said on talkSPORT (30/07/2024, 5:11 pm): “I know for a fact what happened in the summer was a shock to the squad of players, shock to the captain Harry Kane, shock to everyone involved, that Jack Grealish was not in the final 26.”
It has been previously reported that Kane went on a walk with Southgate to understand why he excluded Grealish; with several players in England’s squad left in disbelief over the controversial call.
Jack Grealish would have brought a different element to England at Euro 2024
Whether that is as an impact substitute or as a start, Grealish would likely have brought a unique element to England at the European Championship.
The decorated technician has the flair, eye for a pass, technical excellence and ability to retain the ball to allow the Three Lions to hurt teams in the final third as well as control games.
In turn, England would have been able to play much more on the front foot and dominate games instead of scraping through to get results before eventually falling at the final hurdle.
Grealish will be hoping that he can impress at Manchester City next season and regain his berth in the national team.
