Shearer reveals England star ready ‘to step forward and take position’ after surprise call-up

Alan Shearer reckons the international break is the perfect opportunity for England star Jack Grealish to “take that left-wing position”.

Grealish was not named in Gareth Southgate’s 25-man squad for Euro 2024, which came as a bit of a surprise despite the player’s lack of minutes for Manchester City in the second half of last term.

Having played only 19 minutes for his club in 2024/25, the former Aston Villa captain was surprisingly called up by interim England manager Lee Carsley for this month’s Nations League matches against the Republic of Ireland and Finland.

The match away to Ireland is a personal one for Grealish as he represented them at three youth levels, including under-21.

He opted to represent England instead and it is safe to say that the Ireland fans do not like him very much for doing so. The same applies to Arsenal’s Declan Rice.

Regardless of the opposition, former Three Lions striker Shearer believes Grealish has a great opportunity to make the left-wing spot his with Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Raheem Sterling out of Carsley’s first – and potentially only – squad.

“Jack Grealish was named in the squad after saying he was hugely disappointed not to be involved in the Euros,” Shearer said.

MORE ON ENGLAND FROM F365
👉 Who are the favourites to be the next permanent England manager after Gareth Southgate?
👉 Pep Guardiola for England? Six potential post-Man City moves ranked from least to most likely

“We know it was a bitter disappointment for him. For him to be named in the next squad, I think that tells you what Lee Carsley thinks of him and the belief he’s got in him.

“That should be a great confidence booster for Jack to think, ‘OK, this might be my time to step forward and take that left-wing position’, when the likes of Marcus Rashford, Raheem Sterling and Jadon Sancho are all missing from the squad.”

Shearer also believes the international break is a perfect chance for Carsley to prove his credentials with the Football Association still searching for Gareth Southgate’s permanent successor.

“Bearing in mind that Lee Carsley played for the Republic of Ireland, for him to go there, back to Dublin and to start his first game as England manager is an incredible story for him, and he deserves it” Shearer added. “It’s very similar to what happened with Gareth Southgate.

“He was the Under-21 England manager, had success there and he was given an opportunity. It’s now exactly the same for Lee. It will be a very, very proud moment for him on Saturday afternoon. We’ll all wish him well and we hope England go and win.

“It’s an unbelievable opportunity for Lee Carsley. We’ve seen it happen with Spain and Luis de la Fuente. It might have been underwhelming when he was appointed the Spanish manager, but with his success in the youth teams, it then worked for them in the Euros too.

“They were the best team and they played the best football. There’s no guarantee of success if you go out and get a big-name manager either, so this is a great opportunity for Lee.

“He knows a lot of the players. He’s brought some fresh players into the squad to liven things up a bit too. If he wins the first few games, then the job could well be his. It’s an incredible opportunity for him.”

On facing Heimir Hallgrimsson’s side, the Newcastle United legend continued: “England should have too much for the Republic of Ireland in Dublin.

“This is the first game of the new era – a fresh coach, new ideas, and everyone will be looking to impress.

“It won’t be easy, but when you look at the names on both team sheets, I don’t care what team England put out, they should be better than their opponents here. For that reason, I’ll say England will win convincingly.”

👉 READ NEXT: England star told he won’t play for his country again after huge summer transfer