Peter Crouch believes Jack Grealish must be given a chance to shine for England, with the Paddy Power ambassador explaining his viewpoint on the latest episode of our From The Horse’s Mouth podcast.
Grealish has caught the eye for Aston Villa during recent seasons and has played a huge role in their excellent start to the current Premier League campaign, scoring four goals and providing five assists in seven appearances.
The playmaker featured for the Republic of Ireland at U17, U18 and U21 level before opting to represent England in 2015, but the 25-year-old only made his senior Three Lions debut in August 2020 and has a total of just two caps.
Crouch, who scored 22 goals in 42 England appearances during his career, said: “I love Jack Grealish as a player. He’s a fantastic player, and great to watch.
“I just hope he gets a chance in the England team because we always seem to suppress our most gifted players.
“You think back to Matt Le Tissier and Paul Merson – players that should have been involved in our team for years and they never really get the chance, so I hope Grealish gets the chance he deserves.”
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Grealish is in line to feature for England in Thursday’s friendly against Ireland, while the Villa star will also hope to play a part in Gareth Southgate’s squad for the Nations League meetings with Belgium and Iceland later this month.
Our man Crouchie knows what it’s like to perform on the international stage, having made his breakthrough under Sven Goran Eriksson after securing a £7million move from Southampton to Liverpool in 2005.
The formidable frontman appeared at two World Cups for England but also endured his share of disappointment for both club and country during his career – not least at Grealish’s current club Villa.
🔊CROUCH ON VILLA 🔊
Paddy and Ruby spoke to @petercrouch on the latest episode of FTHM and he told all about his regrets on his time at Aston Villa.
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— Paddy Power (@paddypower) November 11, 2020
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“I’ve got regrets at Aston Villa because I maybe didn’t do as well as I maybe could have,” added Crouch.
“I loved Aston Villa, honestly. As a football club, I loved it. Some of my best mates in football are from Aston Villa – Gareth Barry, Lee Hendrie, Dion Dublin.
“The only regret is because I didn’t make an impact. I wasn’t ready for the Premier League then. I was 21 when I signed and just didn’t feel ready.
“Regrets at Villa wasn’t the fault of anyone else – it was because I wasn’t ready. I loved it as a football club and actually I feel gutted for all the people who believed in me that I didn’t quite do it there.”
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