Jack Grealish appeared to aim a subtle dig at former England manager Gareth Southgate as he paid respect to outgoing interim boss Lee Carsley on Sunday night. The Three Lions winger thanked Carsley for “bringing back the enjoyment” of representing his country after the curtain closed on his brief reign at Wembley.
England roared to a 5-0 demolition job of the Republic of Ireland to secure immediate promotion back to the top tier of the UEFA Nations League.
Harry Kane’s penalty preceded first senior international goals from Anthony Gordon, Conor Gallagher, Jarrod Bowen and Taylor Harwood-Bellis to pip Greece on goal difference.
Grealish wasn’t involved after being among the several England players who withdrew from duty this month amid a hectic club schedule.
But Carsley named the Manchester City star in all three of his initial squads as he won five of his six matches at the helm.
After the England Under-21 boss ushered in the Thomas Tuchel era on Sunday evening, Grealish wished him all the best on social media.
Eagle-eyed supporters noticed he included a potential jab at Southgate, who snubbed him from his 26-man squad for Euro 2024 in the summer.
“What a guy and manager! Absolute legend and thank you for bringing back the enjoyment in an England shirt,” Grealish wrote on his Instagram story.
Team-mate Jude Bellingham posted similar, writing on Instagram: “Huge thanks to Lee and his staff for their work in these last few camps. Got my smile back in an England shirt, very grateful!”
Unlike Bellingham, Grealish, 29, was out in the cold under Southgate, having registered just three goals and three assists in 36 appearances last season.
But Carsley instantly returned him to the fold, and Grealish repaid his faith by scoring in a 2-0 win over Ireland in September.
The following month, Grealish admitted that he believed Southgate’s decision to snub him at the Euros was a mistake.
He said: “I’ll be honest with you, I didn’t really agree with it. I think you need a bit of balance in every position on the pitch.
“You look at some players in my position — the likes of Phil Foden, Anthony Gordon or Jarrod Bowen — they’ve scored a lot of goals.
“But I know that my game is not just about goals. I give so much more to the team than just goals. I still think that, yeah, I should have [gone to the Euros], but obviously it wasn’t meant to be.”
The £100million man added that he found England difficult to watch from home, hinting that he thought Southgate didn’t trust him.
“[Carsley’s faith] really meant a lot. When I play under managers that show trust in me and communicate with me the way he has in the past two camps, it really helps me,” Grealish continued.
