Former England striker Gary Lineker has urged Gareth Southgate to make Aston Villa captain Jack Grealish one of the first names on his teamsheet.
The midfielder continued his fine form this season by securing a superb assist as Aston Villa beat Southampton 1-0 on Saturday evening.
That took Grealish's tally in the Premier League this season to six goals and nine assists in 19 appearances, with only Harry Kane and Kevin de Bruyne securing more of the latter this season.
As a result, Lineker believes that Grealish is a Player of the Year contender and should be a starting player for England at this summer's delayed European Championships.
“I think not only England now, you have to be talking about football of the year now, with the way he’s playing," he said on BBC's Match of the Day.
"He’s not playing for one of the massive teams but he’s been fantastic.
"I love watching him play. He’s a must-start for England, [although] I know there is a lot of talent in those areas.”
Following Mesut Ozil's exit from Arsenal, it was expected Real Madrid loanee Martin Odegaard would take the number 10 shirt that the German World Cup winner left vacant.
However, he has instead opted for the number 11 and this has led some fans to speculate that Grealish is on his way to the Emirates Stadium in the summer transfer window.
Any deal for the Aston Villa playmaker would cost as much as £100m according to the Telegraph.
