Time to leave school, Jack

BIG STEP FORWARD Jadon Sancho, Kalvin Phillips and Marcus Rashford will be firing next summer

Grealish is always going to divide opinion. He’s a talented footballer but Gareth Southgate probably watches him and thinks, ‘ Does he release the ball enough?’

At Villa, he’s trying to play like the school skipper, to take it all on himself. I don’t think he trusts his team- mates there, and it’s probably hurt his England chances.

Southgate must look at him and wonder if he’s disciplined enough, if he would fit into a different mould for England or try to do too much still.

I think he’s a No. 10, but in a few years he might become something else.

England don’t really play with a No. 10 so you can see why Southgate maybe hasn’t picked him. But he’s clearly good enough. He makes so many chances for Villa. I just think the longer he stays there, the longer he plays that school captain role where he tries to do too much.

If he doesn’t move on he could be there for a long time. But he’ll get frustrated trying to finish 17th every season.

I would play him in at least one of these England games. I’m sure he will get game time. He’s just got to make sure he takes his chance.

It’s a very talented squad, you only have to look at the players who aren’t in it. But this is the time to experiment and give people a go.

There are some new faces in the squad. Let’s see what they can do. I’d like to think they will all get a game.

Premier League managers will be sweating that nobody plays in both games. The season’s about to start and there’s a real risk of injury.

Two weeks ago most of these players were on the beach. They won’t be fully ready yet and you have to be careful not to put them through too much too soon.

It’s a big year for England. I think if Gareth sorts out the defence through the centre, we have a great chance of winning the Euros.

But I think we have to play with three at the back. We have defenders who are much better suited to that system.

That’s why I’m interested to see how Conor Coady does because he’s ready- made for that. He’s played it for Wolves for so long.

I think we have players who are better suited to being wing- backs than full- backs as well, so it’s a system we should stick with.

We have all these young players who are only going to get better, and I count Mason Greenwood in that too.

Players like Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho are already brilliant but by next summer they could have taken an even bigger step forward.

I like the way there are some new faces in the squad. It freshens things up and keeps people on their toes.

Kalvin Phillips should get a game too. He was ripping it up last year, sticking out like a sore thumb for Leeds.

But why not pick him then? I got in the England squad when I wasn’t playing in the Premier League, there’s no reason why he couldn’t have.

I was pleased for him but I thought he could have been picked earlier. I hope he hasn’t been picked just because Leeds are suddenly in the Premier League.