Jack Grealish: Gareth Southgate missed great opportunity to test midfielder, says ex-England star Chris Waddle

Former England star Chris Waddle feels Gareth Southgate missed a perfect opportunity to properly test Jack Grealish on the international stage after the Aston Villa captain made his senior Three Lions debut.

Grealish, 24, came on as a 76th minute substitute in Tuesday night’s goalless draw in Denmark, as England’s lacklustre start to their Nations League campaign continued.

The midfielder was instrumental to Aston Villa securing Premier League survival last season, scoring eight goals and providing six assists in 36 top-flight appearances.

His displays have made him a transfer target for Manchester United, and despite calls for him to be incorporated into the England side, Grealish only received his first senior call-up for the recent matches against Iceland and the Danes.

But a 14-minute cameo last night after being left on the bench against Iceland was not enough game time for the player, according to Waddle.

"These were two good games to have a look at Jack Grealish," said Waddle on BBC 5Live. "If Grealish had started both games, would he have been a weakness in the team? No he wouldn't.

"So where would you play him? Jadon Sancho is not doing it for me - he's doing it for Dortmund, not for England. So you think 'I'll play Grealish in these games and if he's not playing well, bring Sancho on'.

"You know what Sancho can do. If Grealish plays badly you say 'maybe he's not an England player'. But let's see if he could do it and this was the perfect opportunity.

"You can't give him 15 minutes and say 'see what happens' - he might never get another game."