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Grealish previously hinted that he would return to Noel King's U21 panel this autumn. James Crombie/INPHO

Jack Grealish's dad: 'He could play 45 minutes for Ireland and 45 minutes for England!'

Difficult decision is ‘completely up to Jack’, says Kevin Grealish.

JACK GREALISH COULD play for both Ireland and England in June’s friendly international, his father joked as the battle for the teenager’s international allegiances continues.

The FAI and English FA are set to fight for the 19-year-old starlet who made headlines in Aston Villa’s FA Cup win over Liverpool on Sunday.

Grealish was born near Birmingham but is eligible for Ireland through his grandparents and has represented the Boys in Green at underage level up to U21.

The teen will make his own decision on whether to stick or twist, Kevin Grealish said on Tuesday morning.

“My parents are Irish, Kerry and Galway, and my wife’s father is Dublin,” he told talkSPORT.

“I was born in Birmingham and Jack was born in Solihull, that’s what we’re from.

He just played for Ireland at the age of 14 and we just went with the flow.

“Now everybody’s talking a bit more seriously about it and saying, ‘What are you going to do?’

“Over the last few months I’ve been asked the question loads and loads of times.”

Grealish has only played the full 90 minutes once for Villa — in the Capital One Cup defeat to Leyton Orient last August — but his stock has risen dramatically under new manager Tim Sherwood.

“He’s had a good game, a few decent games recently, so he just needs to keep doing that personally and his international stuff will come if he keeps performing,” Grealish Sr continued.

It’s going to be a difficult decision. It’s completely up to Jack as well.

“There’s a friendly coming up on 7 June. You never know he could play 45 minutes for Ireland and 45 minutes for England, half and half,” he laughed.

Jack Grealish ‘at a crossroads’, says Given, as English FA step up their interest

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Niall Kelly
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