Manchester City winger Jack Grealish has been told that he is a generational talent who deserves to already have 100 caps for England.
After a mediocre World Cup with the Three Lions, Grealish has hit the ground running back at the Etihad Stadium and is now one of the first names on the teamsheet once again. Since Qatar, the 27-year-old has scored four goals and grabbed six assists in the Premier League.
His overall form for the team has also improved with his ability to take on defenders particularly singled out. Speaking on BT Sport, Joe Cole explained that he felt Grealish is being underutilised in the England set-up but that did not mean Gareth Southgate was at fault.
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"He is playing for arguably the best manager in world football, in the biggest games and playing fantastically well, influencing games," Cole explained. "We talk about all the unseen things he does, the ball-carrying, the holding-on, the weight of pass, he is adding more goals, more assists.
"He looks like a leader. Bernardo Silva gets back defending, but he is back defending now. Unbelievable.
"The only thing for me, if Jack had been Brazilian, Spanish, Portuguese, he'd have had 100 caps for his country. That's not saying something about the England manager and the ability to pick him, I just think we get these types of players once in a generation.
"Glenn [Hoddle] was one, he played 53 times for England. He should have had the England team built around him and I think Jack could have been nurtured even better than he has been.
"But forget that, he is at the right club now, in the right place with the right manager and enjoying his football. We have a terrible habit in this country about constantly talking about what players can't do rather than what they can do.
"He gives you something that no other English player has been able to do for a long time. He is so useful and Pep saw that.
"Pep has gone: 'You'll do for me, give him a year to settle in' and now he's as good as anyone in the team."
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