The Jack Grealish dribble stat that should force Gareth Southgate to take note

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Jack Grealish returned to the Aston Villa starting XI on Monday night against Newcastle United in the Premier League.

The midfielder was back after shaking off a calf strain, and played a full 90 minutes against the Magpies – and his performance was fantastic.

Grealish was superb operating from the left-hand side and was a menace for Newcastle.

Villa’s two goals came from free-kicks that were won by the slippery 24-year-old, and his work ethic was once again there for all to see.

The performance will only increase the noise around Grealish to get an England call up, and a statistic has arisen that would certainly suggest he is worth considering before the European Championships.

According to BBC Sport, Grealish tops the category for ‘carries ending in chances created’, having made a total of 260 carries in the Premier League so far, with 17 of those resulting in a chance created for a teammate.

Manchester City’s Raheem Sterling is in second place with 218 carries and 11 chances created.

Then follow Kevin De Bruyne (201, 12), Trent Alexander-Arnold (212, 11) and Adama Traore (204, 11).

TBR’s view – Grealish just makes things happen

The statistic indicates just how proactive Grealish is with the ball at his feet.

He is the division’s most prolific ball-carrier right now, and the evidence is there to suggest there’s a reasonable chance of an end product when he’s in full flow.

Southgate surely has to call him up for the next two international fixtures in March. He might be playing left-wing right now, but Grealish prefers playing as a number eight which surely makes him even more enticing.