Stewart Downing believes Aston Villa playmaker Jack Grealish can light up Euro 2020 – if England boss Gareth Southgates gives him the opportunity. The Villa star was England’s best performer in the warm-up matches against Austria and Romania, sparking a national outcry for him to start Sunday’s opening group game against Croatia.
Stewart Downing said: “It depends what system Gareth plays, does he play him in the centre of a three, off the left, it’s going to be really difficult for Gareth to pick the team. He might do it to suit the team we play, if the first game he doesn’t see him fitting in, he might use him in the other games, but for me you have to fit him in somewhere. I think he’s ( Grealish is) a really top player and his performances have merited a start. Gareth has got a lot of difficult decisions to make but I just think he brings that something different, he’s a ball carrier, he makes something happen, and we saw that at the weekend. He’s a really good player and I think the tournament is set up for him to have a good one.”
Foden, who starred for Manchester City last season, should start alongside Grealish in Downing’s view.
Stewart Downing added: “He has to start, him and Grealish. They’re different players, they’re ball carriers, they can get us into different areas, we have other lads who can do the work behind the ball defensively. I just think ‘give these two lads the ball and let them do some damage on the opposition’. Gareth won’t be afraid to make decisions, I have played under Gareth at Middlesbrough and he won’t be afraid to make those calls. It’s a tournament, and he’ll see different personnel for different games, and it’ll be interesting to see what team is picked for the opening game against Croatia and there will be some surprise on who is left out because we all have different opinions on who should start.”
Downing’s comments come after Marcus Rashford threw his weight behind Grealish’s inclusion in England’s starting XI.
Marcus Rashford said: “He is a great player. He will definitely grow and grow in an England shirt. We know from training and the Premier League what he can do and for us it’s just about allowing him to reach his potential in an England shirt. We will win more games with him in the team.”
