England vs Ireland: Southgate and Grealish react to victory
Aston Villa star Jack Grealish has defender his England team-mate Mason Mount and has branded criticism of the Chelsea midfielder 'annoying'. Pundits and fans alike have commented that only one could play for the Three Lions with some claiming Gareth Southgate favours Mount.
Grealish has leapt to the defence of the 21-year-old after constant comparisons of himself with the Chelsea ace.
Grealish has been in stunning form this season and added an assist to his tally for the campaign in the win for England against the Republic of Ireland last night.
Both the Villa star and Mount started and worked effectively together in the match at Wembley.
"I love Mason," Grealish said about his team-mate.
"It’s a bit annoying actually because he probably gets a bit of stick about it at times but I’ve always been close with him.
Jack Grealish has defended Chelsea star Mason Mount (Image: GETTY)
"I think he’s an absolutely terrific player.
"I don’t even feel like we’re fighting for the same spot to be honest.
"If anything I think Mason’s underrated and he deserves all the credit he gets and I think that people who know about football will understand just how good he is."
Arsenal and England legend Ian Wright also thinks treatment of Mount has been unfair.
We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. Read our Privacy Policy
"I was pleased with the way they moved the ball, Harry Winks did well, Bukayo Saka on the left looked a lot more comfortable than his first game."
Southgate also opened up on how Jadon Sancho and Grealish swapped flanks throughout at Wembley.
He added: "The two players in those roles, Jadon and Jack, they've got the freedom to go either side and create overloads, and at times they did that really well."
England are next in action on Sunday when they take on Belgium in the Nations League.