Brian Glanville Grealish must move up
In the Premier League, Grealish’s talents would be recognised and a place in the international team well within his grasp
Interesting to see that the talented midfielder Jack Grealish, still only 23, has signed a new contract with Aston Villa, till now his only club, with the proviso that if he wants to leave, then he can.
With natural inside-forwards, which he undoubtedly is, in such pitifully short supply for England it would surely be good for the player to move to the Premier League, where his talents would be recognised and a place in the international team well within his grasp, as arguably it might even be now.
Villa are most unlikely to be promoted this season and it would surely make sense to see him make the step up, however lucrative the contract he has with Villa.
James Maddison, reportedly desperate to play for England, is now showing the attacking form which suggests he is emphatically ready to do so. Coventry-born, he was signed from Norwich City in the summer and has made the transition to the Premier League with Leicester City with ease.
One almost despairs of writing about the hugely precocious Phil Foden, the 18-year-old attacker condemned to sit on the Manchester City bench while a host of talented foreigners occupy the place that might be his in the top team.
Another, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, stays on the sidelines at Chelsea when, as we well know, he looked good enough for England when he briefly had his chances in the World Cup.
In that last World Cup, England did surprisingly well considering the players they deployed, but the goals they scored came all too often from set-pieces.
We can only hope that talented midfielders who are now in view can get their international chance sooner rather than later.