Grealish must play in Premier League for England on call – Southgate

(Reuters) – Gareth Southgate, the English coach, said the Aston Villa midfielder, Jack Grealish, who plays in the second-ranked championship, must prove himself in the Premier League to make his debut in the senior national team.

Grealish, 23, changed Ireland's allegiance to England in 2015 and played seven times for under-21s in England. But he has now seen younger players, such as Declan Rice, 20, and Callum Hudson-Odoi, 18, after England made his debut in front of him.

"Jack worked briefly with us under the age of 21," Southgate told reporters. "Although we can see the quality, when the opponent's evidence is of a different level, it is difficult to make a direct correlation with what it will look like at a higher level."

"With Callum (Hudson-Odoi), he plays against the Europa League, he plays against the Premier League, it makes a difference.

"I'm not going to say we will not pick a championship player because it could happen, but it's a lot harder to badess his level."

Grealish played a pivotal role in the team's sixth-place effort to advance to first place with four goals and five badists this season.

He had played for the last time in the Premier League in 2016, when Villa was relegated to the bottom of the standings.

"You see some parts of the game but not others (in the championship). Not physicality sometimes, nor tactical discipline, "said Southgate," This is another level in the Premier League: speed, pace.

"He's a player we all know, he's a player we follow, but this last piece of evidence might give you confidence to choose him when we do not see him. But as a former Villa Villa, I hope we will not see him for long. "

Grealish made the headlines earlier this month, scoring the winner of a heated 1-0 derby in Birmingham City after being attacked by a pitch invader who was then jailed for 14 weeks.