Liverpool Legend Criticizes Declan Rice and Jack Grealish: 'Not Right on So Many Levels'

Liverpool legend John Aldridge has criticized Declan Rice and Jack Grealish for switching their international allegiance from the Republic of Ireland to England.

Rice, who earned three senior caps for Ireland, and Grealish, who played for Ireland at youth level, both chose to represent England instead. Their decision was met with boos from the crowd when they scored in England’s 2-0 victory over Ireland in Dublin on Saturday.

Aldridge, who was born in England but qualified for Ireland through his family heritage, feels that Rice and Grealish's choices are "not right on so many levels." He expressed his disappointment in his Sunday World column, stating, "It was bad enough watching England dominate Ireland at the Aviva Stadium without seeing Declan Rice and Jack Grealish score their two goals."

"I know it's old news now, but what those two lads did to Ireland was not right on so many levels, as pulling on a green jersey is a privilege and they showed us all a massive lack of respect. I'm in the perfect position to talk about this as I was born in England and could have tried to get into their squad when I was on my way up the football ladder.

"Yet when Jack Charlton offered me a chance to play for Ireland, I jumped at the chance as it was always my dream to pull on the green shirt. Once you get that first Ireland cap and kiss that badge, as Rice did, you can't turn around and play for England a few months later.

"Grealish is a little different as he only played at underage level for Ireland, but I still feel you should not be allowed to switch international teams. Seeing those two score for England reminded us of what might have been as Ireland could have built their team around them for the last few years."

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When asked about the reception they received in Dublin, Grealish told ITV: “Yeah, I think it was what me and Dec expected. Both Dec and I enjoyed our time playing here—I certainly did. I have a lot of Irish heritage in my family, so there’s no hard feelings from my side.”

Rice, meanwhile, said: "[It was a] really good [afternoon]. Obviously it was the manager's first game and a win. In the Nations League, we're in the league below where we wanna be, so we know how important it is to win this group. To come here today and win, I think it was really important, and to score alongside Jack it was a really nice feeling as well."

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