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Jack Grealish's decision to join Everton on loan this summer was partly driven by his ambition to reclaim his spot in the England squad ahead of next year's World Cup.
However, the 30-year-old has been cautioned that he's slipped down the list of options for Thomas Tuchel. The warning comes after Everton's 2-1 loss to Liverpool in the Merseyside derby last weekend, which saw Grealish booked after the full-time whistle for complaining about an unusual refereeing decision.
Despite playing a key role in Manchester City's treble-winning 2023 side that clinched the Premier League, FA Cup, and Champions League, Grealish found himself out of favor at the Etihad. He was left out of the squad for the Club World Cup by Pep Guardiola.
Grealish, who has earned 39 caps and netted four international goals, including two in his last three appearances for the Three Lions under interim manager Lee Carsley against the Republic of Ireland and Finland last autumn, hasn't featured since the latter match, a 3-1 victory in Helsinki, on October 13, 2024.
The Birmingham-born player celebrated his 30th birthday earlier this month, and the 2026 tournament in the USA, Canada, and Mexico could be his last chance to participate in a World Cup. He played in all five of England's matches at the 2022 competition in Qatar.
However, despite Grealish earning the Premier League's Player of the Month award for the first time in his career in August, after providing four assists in his first two Premier League starts for David Moyes' team, another former Blues winger believes he still has a tough road ahead to secure a recall.
Pat Nevin shared with betideas: "You can be in the best form of your career, but if somebody's in that position, or if they're not using that position, that's another thing. Then you're in trouble.
"Grealish has got a queue ahead of him. So, he needs to keep it going for the entirety of the season.
"And if he gets his chance for England, he needs to show it.
"And again, England has that similar problem that Man City have, if you think about it, quite often. They come up against block defences quite a lot.
"So it's tough. Grealish may well get ahead of Anthony Gordon, but Anthony's quicker.
"(Marcus) Rashford, I thought Grealish was ahead of him, but Rashford's flying back now. (Eberechi) Eze's special. Eze's ultra special, but then Eze can play other positions as well, as can Jack.
"The reason why I'm on the fence is because I'd love to see Jack back, but I also think (Phil) Foden's great. I also think Eze's great.
"There's a whole gang of them. And in simple terms, as a Scotsman, I'm just jealous."
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