Roy Keane believes Jack Grealish should start for England during this summer's European Championships.
The Aston Villa midfielder played 70 minutes for England on Wednesday as they beat Austria 1-0 at the Riverside. Grealish was heavily involved in Bukayo Saka's 57th minute winner.
"I've said it many times about Jack Grealish: He affects games," Keane told ITV following the match.
"This is a lad who hasn't played that much football for the last two or three months."
Grealish - who now has six England caps after making his senior international debut in September - missed much of the latter part of the season due to a shinbone injury.
After he was replaced by Ben White, the 25-year-old sat in the stand with ice on his leg but said he is not concerned about his fitness. Though, he did add that it is a condition he needs to "keep on top of and do whatever I can to heal it after playing".
Roy Keane on Jack Grealish
"He’s a pure quality player," continued Keane.
"He gets criticised a lot for going down - he wins free kicks, but that's vital in the modern game. Every time I watch him play, he affects the game.
"I’d find it very hard to leave Jack out [of the starting team]. At the moment, in terms of the England setup, he's a little bit under the radar, but he could be the star man for England [at the Euros].
"He has courage and always wants the ball in tight areas. You see that in all the top teams in the world. Like Cristiano Ronaldo at Portugal, you need players like that in your team who want the ball in tight areas. He's brave, courageous, makes things happen. I think he’s outstanding."
Picture credit: MDI / Shutterstock.com
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