Source: James Crombie/INPHO

IRELAND U21 INTERNATIONAL Jack Grealish has chosen to represent England over the Republic of Ireland.

The Aston Villa midfielder took a year out of international football to make the decision and met with respective managers Martin O’Neill and Roy Hodgson during that time.

And the long-running saga appears to be finally over as Grealish confirmed this afternoon that he intends to line out for his country of birth, having featured at underage level for the Boys in Green.

He tweeted a short statement, which reads:

I have decided to give my allegiance to England. It was not an easy decision as Ireland has a special place with me through my family. However, I have decided to represent my country of birth.”

Grealish is undoubtedly a major loss to the Ireland set-up and he could be now in line for his first England call-up when Hodgson names his latest squad for upcoming qualifiers against Estonia and Lithuania on Thursday.