And so begins the next stage of the Grealish saga
Martin O’Neill looks set to make the first move in the delicate tug-of-war over Aston Villa star Jack Grealish by naming the youngster in his senior Republic of Ireland squad for next month’s friendly against England.
The Ireland boss names his panel today for the game against England and the Euro 2016 qualifer against Scotland, with reports in the Telegraph suggesting O’Neill would not ask the 19-year-old to line out against the Scots if he was still uncertain of his international intentions.
Grealish will lose the freedom to switch allegiances to England once he plays a competitive fixture in green, but even if he were to face the country of his birth in a friendly match it would be a significant statement of intent from the attacking midfield player, who has thrived under new manager Tim Sherwood at Villa Park having failed to break through under Paul Lambert.
Having turned down an earlier invitation to join up with the Irish side in order to focus on his club form, Grealish, who was last in Dublin to accept the Under-21 player of the year award, is now well established at Villa and the promise of an international debut could prompt a change in tack this time.
Either way, his selection will take the pressure off O’Neill and switch focus to Grealish but there are fears that forcing him to make a public decision could push him away from the Irish set-up.
England are believed to have firm interest in the player, and Under-21 boss Gareth Southgate – himself a former Villa star – has been in contact, but a senior call-up is believed to still be some way away.
