Jack Grealish has opted to change which international team he will represent in the future, with the Aston Villa player having confirmed that he will be switching his allegiances from the Republic of Ireland to England.
The 20-year-old has played for Ireland in his international career thus far, but has now revealed via Twitter that he will be representing England from here on out, with him likely being called up by coach Roy Hodgson when the next England squad is announced.
The statement from Grealish reads: “I have decided to give my allegiance to England. It was not an easy decision as Ireland has a special place with me through my family. However, I have decided to represent my country of birth.”
— Jack Grealish (@JackGrealish1) September 28, 2015
Grealish was previously able to play for Ireland due to his grandparents having been born there, despite him having been born in England. The national squad will next play Estonia and Lithuania in their Euro 2016 qualifying matches, though Grealish will need to be registered with FIFA if Hodgson wishes for him to represent the country in those crucial games.
This will be a big blow for Ireland’s national squad, with Grealish currently being their player of the year. It had previously been reported that Hodgson had tried to convince him to represent England, though, so it remains to be seen whether the coach had anything to do with the midfielder’s change of mind.
