England midfielder Jordan Henderson says Jack Grealish understood Gareth Southgate’s decision to substitute him in extra time after only half an hour on the pitch. After the game, Southgate explained his thinking behind the decision and how Grealish reacted to it. And fellow substitute Jordan Henderson, who entered the pitch just after extra time, had a similar verdict.
Jordan Henderson said: “You speak to Jack and he understands the situation. It’s about the team and we are here to win at the end of the day. We changed formation and I thought Jack did brilliantly when he came on and played his part, but then Kieran came on and stiffened things up a little bit at the back, we changed formation to a five. Jack understands, he’s in there over the moon, and like I say, this is bigger than any individual, it’s a group effort and we sometimes need to make hard decisions.”
England will now take on Italy in the final of the tournament on Sunday evening, a game in which Grealish will hope to have a big impact for both him and the team.
