Grealish assures: “There is no hard feelings towards Ireland from my side”
The Englishman scored effusively against the team he represented at youth level, after being greeted with whistles, just like Declan Rice
England went to Ireland to win 2-0, with both goals scored by two players who represented the opponent’s youth team, Jack Grealish and Declan Rice
While the Arsenal player apologised to the Irish fans after the goal, the Manchester City forward celebrated effusively, but assures that it was not because the fans booed him: «It was the reception that Declan and I expected. We have nothing bad to say, we both enjoyed the time we spent [playing for Ireland]. I really enjoyed it and I have a lot of Irish people in my family, so there is no hard feelings on my part», he said, in a quick interview, before explaining how much he enjoys representing the English.
“At the end, when I went to the fans and heard them chant my name… there is no better feeling than playing for England. Everyone will say the same, especially in games like this when you know the whole nation is watching,” he added, handing over to Rice, who commented on the fact that this was their first game since Southgate’s departure and that they are in League B of the Nations League , meaning they cannot challenge for the title.
“Very good game. It was the coach’s first game and we managed to win. We are in the league below where we want to be, so we know how important it is to win this group. Scoring with Jack was a very good feeling, too,” he added, without directly commenting on the controversial situation of scoring against his former national team.
