Thomas Tuchel: Jack Grealish can be the glue in my England team but he needs rhythm | OneFootball

England boss explains why Gordon and Rashford have been picked over Man City winger

Thomas Tuchel has said he "loves everything about" Jack Grealish and believes the Manchester City playmaker has the character and quality to be "glue" in a new-look England team.

Tuchel revealed he had spoken to Grealish ahead of naming the squad, with the 29-year-old admitting he was "not a start-stop" player who was struggling with his bit-part role for City this season - an assessment the coach said he agreed with "100 per cent".

Grealish has made just six starts in the Premier League for Pep Guardiola's side this season and his last three 90 minutes have come against Salford City, Leyton Orient and Plymouth in the FA Cup.

Guardiola recently defended Grealish for a night out near Sunderland and Tuchel acknowledged that it was "not ideal" that he is so frequently in the news for his off-field antics, but said he could still be a huge part of the England team in future.

Tuchel says ‘it’s not ideal’ when Grealish is in the news for his off-field behaviour ... ‘we want to have him more calm’

Getty Images

"I love Jack. As a headline, I love Jack. I love everything about him. I love his personality, I love his quality," Tuchel said.

"The guy has courage, he can take the heat, he’s not afraid of the Bernabeu whistles when he’s on the ball, it does not affect him and if it affects him only in the best way.

"So is he a player that should be available and can have an impact in our squad? Yes, 100 per cent.

"But lately, he simply has no rhythm and he himself and I agree 100 per cent with this. He said, ‘Listen Thomas, I’m not a start-stop player. It is so hard for me to influence a match from the bench and then be on the bench again, and then two weeks later I start again’.

"I’m not judging anyone, not at all, but it’s just a characteristic of Jack, he gets better with every minute.

The more he plays the better he gets and then he becomes a proper machine

Thomas Tuchel

"The more he plays the better he gets and then he becomes a proper machine. And he has, of course, a character to him that he can be the glue also in the team.

"But this comes also with responsibility off the pitch and, of course, it’s not ideal that he’s in the newspapers and out there in public.

"But it’s maybe also not only his fault. You [the media] are happy to write about it, you’re happy to bring it out in public. Everyone, not only you guys, has a phone in his pocket.

"The guys are famous and they are public figures. I think this will just…this can happen.

"It’s not ideal, we want to have him more calm. No one wants to have it, but this was not the reason for not picking him. It was sporting and on his position Anthony Gordon has just more rhythm, more minutes, more intensity and Marcus [Rashford] we discussed [earlier]. So these were the two picks ahead of him."

Grealish was one of the surprise omissions from Gareth Southgate's Euro 2024 squad last summer but he was a key player under interim coach Lee Carsley over the autumn.

Grealish in action against Leyton Orient in the FA Cup

Adam Davy/PA Wire

Rashford was also left out of Southgate's Euros squad but earned a recall from Tuchel for his impressive form since joining Aston Villa on loan from Manchester United in January.

Tuchel said he felt it was important to keep Rashford "close" to ensure he did not slip back into negative habits on the pitch.

"I could have had the right, and it would have been easy to give him a call and say, 'Listen Marcus, this is impressive but keep on going and lets see in June'," Tuchel said of the forward.

"And he would have maybe said, 'Yeah, ok, lets go'. But I felt I need to have him close now. That he does not go back.

"I had the feeling that we need to reward him now, we need to feel him, he needs to be close to me, that he does not fall back into old routines.

"He stepped up his game impressively, against the ball. This is for me the most important point for him at the moment. The intensity after ball loss.

"The tracking back on the side. The sprinting. The hunting down. Making sure you're in position.

"That he can bully defenders, we know all that, we forgot a little bit about it, but we know it, that he can go both sides, that he's strong on the left foot, strong on the right foot, good finishing, he can influence games from the bench, from the start. He is good in the air. He is a complete package. But, yeah? Is this a reward? But at the same time, we want to make sure that he stays on track."