Pep Guardiola has hinted that Jack Grealish could be on his way out of Manchester City in the summer.
Grealish out
Jack Grealish has had a tricky season with trying to find form. Summer signings Jeremy Doku and Matheus Nunes seems to have replaced him in the starting XI.
Manchester City paid £100m for Grealish in 2021 and he was instrumental to their treble winning success last season – scoring five goals and assisting 11. He simply just can’t find his feet in this campaign.
Grealish was subbed off after 38 minutes in Manchester City’s 6-2 FA Cup win over Luton. It’s reported that Grealish came off with a groin problem, but that didn’t stop Guardiola from sending Grealish a warning in his post-match interview.
What did Guardiola say?
After the match against Luton, Guardiola was asked about Grealish. He gave an awkward response which has sent alarm bells to Manchester City supporters.
He said: “He played lots of minutes last season and this [season] less in the beginning – it’s the way he has performed. That’s the difference. I said from day one: ‘We need him, he has a special quality for our team.’ It depends on him. Hopefully he can do a good last three months.”
He added: “I cannot give three or four games for them to get their rhythm, they have to [find] the rhythm if playing 90 or 20 minutes,” he said. “At a high level, the team doesn’t wait.”
Guardiola’s style
Selling Grealish wouldn’t be out of character for Guardiola. There have been many talents for Manchester City that have been sold without hesitation. Riyad Mahrez, Joao Cancelo, Cole Palmer, Raheem Sterling and Leroy Sane.
It seems to be if you don’t impress Guardiola in the time that he gives you, you’re sold.
Injuries don’t help Grealish’s cause either and he’s had a couple of niggly ones so far this season. If he keeps getting injured, he’ll be out of Guardiola’s plans and a summer move will be definite.
Grealish has gone from Aston Villa’s starboy to Manchester City’s bench. A move away from the pressures within the City team might be what he needs to get his career back-on-track.
Pundit’s verdict
TalkSPORT host Ade Oladipo gave his two cents on the situation surrounding Grealish.
He said: “That is strong from Pep Guardiola, I didn’t expect him to be that strong. That is saying there’s an issue behind the scenes there with Jack Grealish.
“I’ve spoken about this before and I’ve floated the idea of Jack Grealish leaving City in the summer, because it seems to not work.
“[Jeremy] Doku seems to be in front of him and even when Doku is on the bench, you’d expect Jack to start and that’s not happening.
“You can hear from Guardiola there, it’s almost like he’s saying ‘I need to see something, I need to see a bit more. I’m not going to give you three or four games to get your rhythm, you get 20 minutes’.
“This is the Man City way, you get 20 minutes and if he doesn’t see it then good luck.
“I wasn’t one of those who pointed at the end of the season and said all this drinking and all this partying will cause you trouble. Do what you want! You are a superhero for doing that.
“I was looking at him thinking ‘you do realise Pep is expecting you to go again next season’. It’s not one and done, it’s more and more and more. I do wonder if Jack hasn’t realised that.”
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