JERMAINE JENAS COLUMN: GREALISH CAN BE OUR GAZZA

JACK GREALISH has the potential to be England’s best player at the Euros. This is his moment. When tournament football comes around, you need a player who will get the crowd on their feet. Jack is built for the occasion — the way he holds on to the ball, the way he draws fouls, the responsibility he takes to stamp his authority on big games.

He may not be the one who gets the goals but he will be the creator, the driving force. He will bring something England have not had for a while — someone who lights up the stadium.

Wayne Rooney did that when he caught fire at Euro 2004. Grealish has got that attitude, that swagger about his game.

You have got to have that type of ‘give-me-the-ball’ player at major tournaments. France had one in Zinedine Zidane. As good as Patrick Vieira and Emmanuel Petit were, Zidane was the man. Give him the ball and he’ll create the magic to win the game. Grealish has the ability to be that player.

Harry Kane is a world- class striker. You need that on the big stage. Phil Foden has had the season of his life in a Manchester City shirt, too. Foden, Mason Mount and Jude Bellingham will all be key components and could have their special moments.

But this will be Grealish’s tournament. If we are to recreate that Euro 96 feeling, Grealish will be our Gazza. He’ll be the star.

And I think England have what it takes to go one better than back in ‘96 and reach the final. When you look at the crop of players at Gareth Southgate’s disposal, it i s not unreasonable to think they can make it.

In this squad are players who have featured in Champions League and Europa League finals and also ones — Bellingham, Jadon Sancho and Kieran Trippier — who have extensive experience of playing club football abroad. They will have faced some of the players England will be up against.

A key component to all this is the draw. Can we avoid France? Then look around the major teams in Europe. Italy are not what they used to be, although they are on a fantastic winning run. Belgium are a very good team but their star player, Eden Hazard, is a long way short of top form. Croatia are an ageing side and won’t be too far off the team England faced in the World Cup semi-final. England, by contrast, have come a long way since then.

Spain have no Real Madrid players in their squad for the first time in their history.

Gareth has a great mix of players. There are so many different methods he can use to make this work.

My big concern, however, is the midfield. In the last four or five games I have watched, the midfield has not functioned well. Something about it seems a bit rigid, not flowing the way it should. The big complaint has been that we have not been getting enough bodies forward to help Kane. One of the reasons for that is because we have not played with our full-backs high enough up the field.

With Declan Rice in midfield, he can slot into a back three to allow the full backs to play high and wide. They can create the width and give England overloads using Foden, Grealish and Mount. That is where England can dictate games.

You sense Gareth is nervous about his defence. I will be very surprised if he does not start with Rice and Kalvin Phillips in there, if Jordan Henderson is not fit. But if I’m the Scotland duo John McGinn and Scott McTominay, I’m not scared of that pair one bit. Rice and Phillips would be better on their own. When I was at Newcastle, I used to play with Gary Speed or Kieron Dyer. Speedo would just say to me ‘You go’ and he’d stay back.

With Kieron, we would just look at each other and know who would sit and who’d go forward. Yet Rice and Phillips both enjoy doing the same thing, they both want to get the ball off the centre halves.

That’s why England could do with Henderson or Bellingham in the midfield mix.

Gareth may well look to play it safe and ease England into the tournament. But there could come a point where he looks at the attacking talent at his disposal and thinks: ‘I’ve just got to go and attack here.’

If that time comes, I don’t think he will be scared to push the button and go for it.