Wayne Rooney has delivered a brutal verdict on Jack Grealish's chances of making England's World Cup squad, stating that the Everton loanee's hopes are 'dead and buried'. The former England captain believes Grealish can book his summer holiday now, as he is unlikely to be selected under current manager Thomas Tuchel.
Grealish, who featured at Euro 2020 and the 2022 World Cup, missed out on Euro 2024 and has not been called up by Tuchel. Despite performing well on loan at Everton, England's attacking depth is immense, as shown in Thursday's 2-0 win over Serbia, where Bukayo Saka and Ebere Eze scored. Anthony Gordon's late withdrawal did not lead to a call-up for Grealish, further indicating Tuchel's settled squad.
Rooney said on his show: 'Jack Grealish may as well book his holiday for the summer now because he's not getting in the squad. You think Anthony Gordon dropped out and he still doesn't get called into it, so I think Thomas Tuchel is quite set.'
Everton boss David Moyes was unfazed by Grealish's omission, saying: 'We are pleased with how he is doing and we want him to add to his tally of assists and score a couple of goals more. Thomas Tuchel picks his England team and he has to decide what he wants. At the moment, Jack is doing really, really well for us.'
England have already secured World Cup qualification and face Albania next. Tuchel praised Phil Foden, who is ahead of Grealish in the pecking order, saying: 'Phil is in good shape and can make any team better in an offensive position.'
