Maddison wouldn't let sister date Grealish as he dishes dirt on England squad

James Maddison has sung Bukayo Saka's praises and insisted that if he had a sister he would trust the England star to take her on a date - but quipped that he wouldn't be too keen on her heading out with Manchester City winger Jack Grealish.

Maddison is currently in Qatar with the Three Lions squad after earning a spot in Gareth Southgate's squad with his dazzling displays for Leicester this term. The 26-year-old playmaker has yet to make an appearance at the World Cup due to injury but is expected to be available for England's quarter-final showdown with France on Saturday.

Ahead of the match, Maddison was asked to dish the dirt on his international teammates. He took the opportunity to talk up Saka before making a light-hearted joke at Grealish's expense.

"The first one who springs to mind I think is Bukayo Saka," Maddison told talkSPORT when he was asked who in the England squad would make the best son-in-law.

'B's just such a nice kid. I saw Luke talk about B. I saw Jack about B. And you just get this relationship with him. He's such a nice guy to everyone that you build such a good relationship with him.

'And if I had a sister or a daughter and they said to me: 'Oh, I'm going on a date with Bukayo Saka ', I'd be like: 'Enjoy yourself. Let him pay, but enjoy yourself.''

It was a different story when it came to Maddison's hypothetical sister and Grealish, though. A giggling Maddison joked: "If I had a family member and they told me: 'Oh, I'm going on a date with Jack Grealish ', I'd be like: 'Nah, you're not. Nah, you're not.'"

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While Grealish has impressed after coming off the bench - and scored in England's opening win against Iran - Saka has established himself as one of the Three Lions' most influential players in Qatar.

The Arsenal forward, 21, has been one of the breakout stars of the entire tournament and plundered his third goal in four games to cap England's impressive 3-0 win over Senegal on Sunday night.

Pundit Ally McCoist lauded Saka after his performance in the Round of 16 and tipped him to get even better as the tournament progresses.

He told talkSPORT: "I've watched him [Saka] close-up this tournament. Boy, he's been excellent. He really, really has. Great maturity, blossomed in that squad and team and actually, now he's looking like a starter for Gareth.

"Gareth's looking at his team, he probably thinks right away, 'In a normal game, I've got eight or nine starters'. Saka's in there. He's got a settled back four at the moment, the goalie you'd be happy with.

"He's got the opportunity to change in wider positions and maybe a midfielder here or there, but Saka's been excellent. He really has been, and he's only going to get better. This England squad and these boys are probably nowhere near their peak."

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