Gareth Southgate has hailed Jack Grealish’s “fabulous” talent, but believes the Manchester City winger can be too “brutally” hard on himself when reflecting on his performances.
Grealish, 28, is set to make his 33rd appearance for England in Friday’s friendly against Australia at Wembley.
The former Aston Villa winger signed for Manchester City in 2021 and last season was part of Pep Guardiola’s all-conquering treble-winning team.
“He’s grown as a player,” Southgate said on Thursday evening. “He’s always been a fabulous talent. Moving to a club where he had to win every week — the pressure was on to win every week, the demands of his coach — you become a more rounded player. Those experiences are with him now.
“Characters like Jack, James Maddison, Trent [Alexander-Arnold] — the attacking players — we’ve got players who see the world differently. He’s brutally honest about his performances. Sometimes I think he’s too hard on himself.”
England’s match against Australia will be the first meeting between the teams since Roy Hodgson’s England beat the Aussies 2-1 at the Stadium of Light in a pre-tournament friendly before Euro 2016.
Southgate is expected to name an experimental XI against Australia given that England host Italy in Tuesday in a crunch qualifier that could see them reach Euro 2024 if they win.
“It’s one of the great sporting rivalries,” Southgate said about the prospect of England hosting the Socceroos. “If Australia have a any sniff that we’re not taking the game seriously then we’ll be in trouble.
“Equally, we’re still a game away from the European Championships. Part of our bond as a team is making sure people get chances to play. We’ve got to get that right balance.”
Grealish returned to compliment to Southgate, saying about England’s chances of winning Euro 2024: “We’ve got the perfect manager, the perfect team. We’ve come close on two occasions. That will be next on the list, hopefully.
“He has one of the hardest jobs in the world. Whatever he does, people will have something to say. It’ll be a perfect night tomorrow, fingers crossed.”
