The Three Lions received a massive setback after the team was handed a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Iceland. Despite fielding his potential playing XI for the Euros, Gareth Southgate‘s team failed to make an impact. With the team lacking more options in attack, fans have started questioning the manager over this decision to snub both Jack Grealish and Marcus Rashford.

However, not everyone is against the decision, with former England coach Stuart Pearce backing Southgate. Pearce doubled down on the England manager’s decision during his appearance on TalkSPORT. While the ex-Three Lions coach agrees you need someone like Jack Grealish to win you those free kicks, he also believes that “His (Grealish’s) stats this season of three goals and three assists are not good enough”.

“I’ve looked at that and he hasn’t been in the team much and the club manager doesn’t get it wrong either. So when you see he could have brought him in during the final game of the season, he spent that time on the bench,” Pearce added.

Pearce’s statement does have some merit, as Jack Grealish’s form has been subpar this season. While injuries have played a huge role in his performances, Grealish too has been unable to step up to the challenge, with the Englishman losing his spot to Jeremy Doku in Manchester City’s lineup. Marcus Rashford hasn’t been any different, with the player failing to live up to the expectations at Manchester United.

Earlier, Grealish had made his thoughts known about his poor performance this season

Jack Grealish says Guardiola has been supportive

The former Aston Villa star has had an on-and-off time following his $110 million move to Manchester City. Despite a slow start, Grealish played a huge role in the team’s treble-winning campaign. However, his performances last season left a lot to be desired, with Grealish lacking the cutting edge in the attack.

The midfielder opened up on the rough patch earlier this year claiming, “It’s been a difficult season for me personally, after the highs of last year. I spoke to the manager a lot and he’s been so good with me. I owe him a little bit and want to repay him now with my performances and the team as well.”

Jack Grealish has ample time on his hand to turn things around. With the player now out of the Euros, Grealish’s focus should be on breaking into Pep Guardiola’s playing XI. However, if rumors are true, he could be in for a switch. Bayern head coach Vincent Kompany is quite fond of the player and we all know the Belgian needs all the firepower to make his Bavarian stint a success.