International football is a strange thing – managers get so little time to work with the players that they tend to stick with those they trust, and it means that anyone outside the bubble has to do something extraordinary to get a look in.
Thankfully most nations aren’t as bad as the situation we have in Scotland, where the managers are always so insecure about any player from our league that they won’t call them up until they’ve been validated with a move to Celtic, Rangers or any English side.
Things aren’t quite that bad with Gareth Southgate and England, but Jack Grealish must be wondering if he has a fair chance of getting a call up if he stays at Aston Villa.
READ MORE: Barcelona are bracing themselves for an approach from Man United for Lionel Messi
Grealish was left out of the England squad that was announced today, so you could fully understand it if he decides to push for a transfer to boost his EURO 2021 chances.
The Metro were the latest outlet to link him with a move to Man United, while a move to Old Trafford would make it much more likely that he’ll get a call up in the future.
It’s a shame that this is true, but Southgate will face no criticism at all if he leaves an Aston Villa player out of the squad, but if Grealish is playing well for someone like United and gets left out of a squad, then the media will suddenly pile on and demand an explanation.
If he moves to Old Trafford then he’ll have a chance to win trophies and play in Europe so that will catch the eye, while staying at Villa and playing a key role in taking them to a mid table finish is much less impressive.
A lot will depend on how much he values his international career, but if he wants a place at the EUROs then he will need to push for a move.