Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has emphasized that his only concerns about Jack Grealish revolve around his fitness. The England winger has found it challenging to secure a consistent spot in City’s starting lineup this season, starting just 13 games and making 25 appearances in total. This has led to speculation about the future of the £100m signing at the club.
Guardiola commented on the 29-year-old, saying, ‘Look, Jack performed well against Leyton Orient and then played against Real Madrid. Madrid isn’t a friendly, right? But after 20 minutes, he had to come off due to injury. That’s been the story of his season.
The reason Jack hasn’t played much is simply because he hasn’t been able to. He’s been dealing with minor injuries and fitness issues. There’s no doubt about his talent – I’ve never questioned Jack’s ability – but due to these setbacks, he hasn’t been able to string together three consecutive games.
“He played well against Nottingham Forest, but after that, he missed games and then got injured again during training. They weren’t major issues, but they prevented him from performing at full intensity, sprinting repeatedly, and maintaining consistency. That’s the only concern – nothing else.”
Grealish made a brief appearance as a substitute in the final minute of City’s midweek Premier League victory over Tottenham. However, Guardiola is still unsure whether he will include him in the squad for Saturday’s FA Cup fifth-round clash against Championship side Plymouth.
Guardiola added, ‘For this game, I’m not sure if he’ll be ready to play in such a physically demanding match. That’s the question.