Grealish to return to line-up when his performances improve, says Guardiola

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has said he sees Jack Grealish ready to put an inconsistent season behind him and play a key role this season as they look to repeat last year's treble triumph.

The England midfielder started 41 games last season including the FA Cup final and the Champions League final, this season he has only started 19 games and only seven in the Premier League.

Grealish is now recovered from a groin problem he suffered in the Champions League game against Copenhagen two weeks ago and is likely to play in Tuesday night's FA Cup tie against Luton Town.

"Over the last month, Jack is back in terms of many things. That's why he played an important game in the Champions League in Copenhagen. Hopefully he can make the impact he had last season. It depends on him. I try to be fair in my decision. He played lots of minutes last season, and this season less in the beginning. He is the same player, he has the same manager, and the way we play has not changed," said Guardiola.

The Manchester City boss has also said that it is up to him to play and his performances to get back into the starting XI. "Nothing has changed. It's just 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. We need him. It depends on him. Hopefully he can do a good last three months. The players don't have to convince me. They have to convince themselves that they deserve to play," added the Man City coach.

 

February 27, 2024