Gareth Southgate and Jack Grealish are both former Aston Villa captains but the similarities seem to end there. They are the paragon of responsibility and the free spirit, the prefect and the rebel, the man who measures every comment carefully and the carefree character whose lifestyle can attract attention.
Listen to Grealish, however, and they sound the unlikely alliance. “I’m not just saying this, I have a great relationship with him,” said the Manchester City midfielder. “I’m not too sure how many caps I’ve actually got for England football team and they have all been under him.” The number is 23, but the criticisms are that Southgate was too slow to call up Grealish and too reluctant to start him; 11 of those appearances have come off the bench. “I’ve come on a lot as a sub during the Euros,” Grealish said. “Obviously, I would love to play every game but it’s a big squad with top players all over so if that was my role then that’s fine. I’ll do whatever I can to help the team.”
