Thomas Tuchel tells Jack Grealish what he’s ‘missing’ after England squad snub

England manager Thomas Tuchel has explained why Jack Grealish was left out of his squad for the upcoming internationals against Andorra and Senegal.

Manchester City attacking midfielder Grealish is expected to leave the club in the transfer window and will be omitted from City’s squad for the Club World Cup as his relationship with Pep Guardiola passes the point of no return.

The England boss clearly knows the player well and has a sharper understanding of his intangible attributes than some of the managers who’ve worked with him at club level.

Tuchel told the press that he has not spoken to Grealish since “shortly after the FA Cup final” but didn’t hold back when issuing a clear piece of advice to the 29-year-old, who has not yet been included in an England squad by the new boss.

“He needs to make himself available by playing,” said Tuchel. “I think it’s one of his key strengths; to go every three days and get better and better with every minute that he has in his legs.

“That’s what is missing, nothing else. I love Jack for his personality and of course his talent. He is a very unique player who can handle big pressure on the field. He is never shy of pressure.

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“He grows in big matches but he’s a player who needs minutes and minutes and minutes and simply does not get them for a very long time. That’s basically everything.”

Grealish moved to Man City from Aston Villa for £100m in 2021 and has won the trophies he craved, including three consecutive Premier League titles and the treble in 2022-23.

But his individual influence has decreased and Guardiola has shuffled the former Villa captain out of his deck. He started just seven Premier League matches in 2024-25, putting his World Cup hopes at risk and forcing him to seek a move away from the Etihad Stadium this summer.

While the England squad continue their preparations for Saturday’s 2026 World Cup qualifying match against Andorra, Grealish must be looking for ways to get those vital minutes back into his legs in the last year of a World Cup cycle.

According to The Telegraph, a possible but unlikely return to Villa Park has not yet been ruled out.

Grealish is regarded as one of Villa’s best players of the modern era. He came through the club’s youth system and captained them back to the Premier League three years after they were relegated.

He was instrumental in their first two seasons back in the top flight before departing for City for big money as an established elite international star.