'I WANTED to take a penalty!!!!': Jack Grealish reveals he DID volunteer but was not picked by Southgate – after Roy Keane slammed him and Raheem Sterling for letting teenager Bukayo Saka take the decisive spot kick

The Editor July 12, 2021

Less than a minute

Jack Grealish has hit back at Roy Keane after being criticised by the pundit for not taking a penalty in England’s Euro 2020 final defeat by Italy.

Keane questioned why senior players, including Grealish and Raheem Sterling, weren’t taking a penalty in the shootout for England after Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and 19-year-old Bukayo Saka missed from the spot.

And Grealish responded on Twitter on Monday morning, saying: ‘I said I wanted to take one!!!! The gaffer has made so many right decisions through this tournament and he did tonight!

‘But I won’t have people say that I didn’t want to take a peno when I said I will…’

Television footage before the shootout began also showed Grealish nodding in reply to Gareth Southgate when it appeared that the England boss was asking players in a huddle who would be willing to take a penalty. Kalvin Phillips was also seen putting his hand up, but did not end up taking a penalty in the shootout.

Keane offered his sympathy for Saka, who missed the decisive spot-kick, and questioned why other England players didn’t step up.

‘If you’re Grealish or Sterling, you can’t have a young kid step up in front of you,’ the former Republic of Ireland and Manchester United captain told ITV.