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As England internationals who have abandoned the Republic of Ireland, Declan Rice and Jack Grealish should know better than to expect a heroes’ welcome when they step out in Dublin on Saturday.
Time is no cure. The perceived betrayal is not easy to forget when it comes to Rice, who made three appearances for Ireland in non-competitive games before switching allegiance to England five years ago. “It went down like a lead balloon,” Mick McCarthy, the former Ireland manager, said in 2020. “I think he scored [in the under-21s] and I think he kissed the jersey.
The image could be better, not least because Rice’s first England call-up came a day after he was named Ireland’s young player of the year. Some will never look at him the same way again. The rejection hurts. Rice, whose paternal grandparents are from Cork, wonders if the past played a part in criticism of his Euro 2024 performances from former Ireland winger James McClean. “I’ve played with him, he’s entitled to his opinion and I’ve had to fight off a lot of other people’s opinions before,” Rice said before England’s 0-0 draw with Slovenia. “It’s a bit bitter maybe not playing for Ireland but I’ve got nothing bad to say about him.”
So will England turn the other cheek when they open their Nations League campaign against Ireland at the Aviva Stadium? Rice is focused on his football. The main priority is to kick-start England’s new era following the departure of Gareth Southgate and the appointment of Lee Carsley, another former Ireland player, as interim head coach.
Ultimately, there is no doubt that the decision to leave Ireland was a wise one, given that Kingston upon Thames-born Rice has quickly become one of England’s most important players. Although he was a little raw at first, notably in a bitter defeat to the Netherlands in 2019, he quickly adapted to international football and established himself in the starting XI thanks to his powerful stride and ball-winning abilities that convinced Arsenal to buy him from West Ham for £105m in 2023.
With 58 caps, Rice is undoubtedly an asset to England. Although his limitations in ball control were evident in England’s defeat to Spain in the Euro final, he will certainly remain a key player for Carsley. Much has been made of the interim manager’s desire for his teams to play with control, but the persistent feeling is that England will always need the security, leadership and physicality offered by Rice, who will be a leading contender to take the captaincy when the time comes for Harry Kane to step down.
This is not the time for Carsley to be radical. The most radical choice? Carsley would dump Rice, who was rested when England beat Ireland 3-0 at an empty Wembley in November 2020, and pick his own player. Lille’s Angel Gomes, making his first squad, is the kind of small, deep-lying playmaker that English football rarely produces and has been a key player in Carsley’s under-21s team.
But the more pertinent question remains the one Southgate posed before the Euros: Rice and who? Young players are coming through and Kobbie Mainoo has made a strong bid for the third-choice midfield role in Germany, but the chances of anyone replacing Rice seem slim. The 25-year-old will be keen to silence talk of his inability to dictate the rules of the game against elite teams, and to turn the page on his red card in Arsenal’s 1-1 draw with Brighton, but it is hard to imagine a scenario where England do not need him to unleash their creative players.
Grealish is a bigger problem. The Manchester City winger will be sure to be greeted warmly by a hostile crowd given he turned down Ireland after playing for them at youth level, but being booed is nothing new for Grealish. Still in form, he is likely to thrive on the insults. The 28-year-old’s real motivation will surely be to show that Southgate was wrong not to take him to the Euros.
It was a callous decision, one that caused surprise in the dressing room, even if it wasn’t exactly undeserved. Quite simply, Grealish’s standards have dropped since City’s treble in 2023. He wasn’t as effective last season, struggled for fitness and was dropped from Pep Guardiola’s starting XI. Southgate was entitled to decide that others deserved better.
Carsley was quick to recall Grealish and must have been encouraged by the former Aston Villa man’s fine performance in City’s win at West Ham. He will have the chance to impress for England given the absence of Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Cole Palmer.
The taunts should be just an inconvenience. Ireland will be desperate for revenge. Grealish and Rice will struggle to drown out the noise.
