Jack Grealish wants to replicate the emotions stirred up by England's success at Euro 2020 as hopes rise for the World Cup at the end of this year.
England were beaten finalists last summer after an uplifting tournament that saw them play most of their games at Wembley and welcome more fans into the ground with each round as the Covid restrictions that had kept fans out for more than a year were gradually eased over the course of the competition. More than 67,000 fans watched Italy win in the final, more than three times the number that were allowed in for group matches.
Grealish was a rarely-used part of Gareth Southgate's squad for the tournament, but the player still captured the attention of many England fans and was one of the most popular members of the group. After a move to Pep Guardiola's Manchester City side for this season, the 26-year-old has consolidated his place in the squad.
READ MORE: Capello jibe reminds Man City of unfinished business for Guardiola
Despite seeing a drop-off in his goals and assists since he left Villa, the overall work Grealish has done to his game has impressed Southgate, and the City forward made the most recent selection ahead of, among others, United pair Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho. Having experienced one major tournament, Grealish is determined to secure his place for the World Cup and feel the love again.
“Fingers crossed now that I can go into the next major tournament with England, that’s what I’m hoping for," he said. “It was obviously nice to have the whole country rooting for us as a team. Even for myself, I’ve seen stuff on social media, and it was nice to have that support from everyone.
“But for us as a team, it was just unbelievable to have the whole country behind us. I felt like because of how well we’d done, we’d brought everyone together. It was a summer that I’ll never ever forget and after leaving that summer, it makes me want to strive for more and have that feeling again, so hopefully we can.”
Sign up to our City newsletter so you never miss an update from the Etihad Stadium this season.
