Pep Guardiola has signaled that Jack Grealish may still have a place at Manchester City — despite his absence from the squad selected for the Club World Cup.
The City boss had seemed to cast doubt over Grealish’s long-term future at the Etihad by leaving him out of the 27-man team traveling to the U.S. for the FIFA tournament. This followed a challenging 2024-25 campaign in which the £100m former Aston Villa captain managed just seven Premier League starts.
Yet speaking in a press conference in Philadelphia before City’s opening game against Wydad Casablanca, Guardiola clarified the decision, suggesting it’s more about Grealish’s development than an exit plan.
“He had a conversation with the club and decided the best,” Guardiola said. “Jack is an exceptional player but he didn’t (play a lot). We decided he has to play.
“We’re honest and he’s honest. We decided the best was to stay (behind) and find that he can play, that he can come back to the player of the year of the treble and all his career at Aston Villa.”
Guardiola added: “But the fact is he didn’t play much minutes the last two seasons. He has to come back to play and have the butterflies in his stomach that he can play every three days and show again the quality that he has.
“Over the last two years he didn’t play much and I take responsibility for that, but he has to play and we reflected that it was better not to come here.”
Despite these comments, Grealish continues to be linked with a move away, including speculation over a potential return to Aston Villa. Napoli are also reported to be interested, though likely only on a loan basis due to his £350,000-a-week wages.
Everton, Newcastle, and Tottenham have also been linked with the 29-year-old, though any suitor would likely seek a cut-price deal — closer to £50m — rather than the £100m fee City paid to Villa.
