Jack Grealish emotional after making England debut in Nations League draw with Denmark

Grealish was a second-half substitute in 0-0 draw

Lawrence Ostlere
Tuesday 08 September 2020 17:47 EDT
Comments
Jack Grealish shakes hands with manager Gareth Southgate
Jack Grealish shakes hands with manager Gareth Southgate (PA)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Jack Grealish admitted he was “emotional” as he was asked to come on and make his debut in England’s Nations league draw with Denmark on Tuesday evening.

Grealish was a second-half substitute in 0-0 draw, bring some much-needed energy and direct running to an otherwise drab England performance. 

"I was actually a bit emotional," the Aston Villa captain said afterwards. "It is something that you dream of, every child in England dreams of it since they were a little kid - playing for the England senior team. I was so privileged coming on and it was a shame we couldn't win in the end.

"I want to thank Gareth himself for giving me the opportunity and I hope it is the first of many. My first involvement, well I'm a bit gutted to be honest because I went on a little run and should have pulled the trigger or picked someone out."

Asked what he thought of Phil Foden and Mason Greenwood’s indescretions last week, Grealish empathised.

"I've tried not to look into it too much to be honest," Grealish – who broke lockdown rules earlier in the year – replied when asked about the issues in Iceland.

"Phil and Mason are young kids who will learn as they get older. I have been there myself but I have tried not to focus on that too much, it is my first camp myself. They are two young lads, both brilliant kids and I'm sure they will learn from what they have done."

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in