Gareth Southgate claims ‘brutally honest’ England star too hard on himself

England are back in action on Friday evening when they host Australia at Wembley in a friendly.

The game means very little but it will be a good opportunity for Southgate to hand minutes to some fringe stars. England are 2/11 to beat Australia with bet365.

England vs Australia

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England vs Australia

October 13, 2023

7:45 pm GMT+1

Gareth Southgate on Jack Grealish

Ahead of the match, Gareth Southgate spoke to the media on Thursday evening.

When doing so, the former Middlesbrough boss praised Manchester City and England winger Jack Grealish.

Grealish is expected to make his 33rd appearance for England in Friday’s friendly against Australia at Wembley. But Southgate believes the Manchester City forward can be too ‘brutally’ hard on himself when reflecting on his performances:

“He’s grown as a player,” Southgate said on Thursday evening. “He’s always been a fabulous talent. Moving to a club where he had to win every week — the pressure was on to win every week, the demands of his coach — you become a more rounded player. Those experiences are with him now.

“Characters like Jack, James Maddison, Trent [Alexander-Arnold] — the attacking players — we’ve got players who see the world differently. He’s brutally honest about his performances. Sometimes I think he’s too hard on himself.”