“Stop talking nonsense” – Jack Grealish speaks out after missing the Man City pre-season squad.
Jack Grealish recently spoke out on social media after reports said he was ‘left out’ of Manchester City’s pre-season tour in Asia.
On Saturday, Man City will kick off their first pre-season under new manager Enzo Maresca with a game against Inter Milan. This match will be held in Hong Kong, starting a three-game tour in Asia. They’ll also play against a K League All Stars team and Atletico Madrid in Seoul, South Korea, next Wednesday and Sunday.
Before the tour, Man City announced the squad traveling to Asia. Players who went far in the World Cup were given rest and didn’t make the list. But two players who didn’t play in the World Cup, Kalvin Phillips and Grealish, were also left out.
Both Phillips and Grealish are currently off the pitch for a longer period—Grealish’s last game was back in January before he got a serious foot injury while on loan at Everton.
After the squad was announced, ESPN UK reported that Grealish and Phillips were ‘left out,’ which upset Grealish. He quickly replied to clear things up, saying, “Just to let you know I’m still recovering from an injury so I’m not training yet. Haven’t been ‘left out’ so stop talking poo poo thanks.”
It’s still unclear exactly when Grealish will be back on the field, but since he was recently seen training with RCD Mallorca in Spain, he’s probably close to returning.
This brings up questions about Grealish’s future. The 30-year-old’s future is not certain after Everton chose not to activate a £50 million buy option in his loan deal last season.
There’s talk he might return to Everton, especially if Iliman Ndiaye leaves for Al Hilal this summer. However, Everton would likely only consider signing him for a much lower price.
Meanwhile, Kalvin Phillips hasn’t played since February while on loan at Sheffield United. He’s expected to go on loan with them again.
If Everton doesn’t sign Grealish, he might want to look for other options outside Man City to get more playing time. One club that might be interested is Al Hilal, the same Saudi team looking to sign Ndiaye.
Al Hilal recently bought Crysencio Summerville from West Ham for £60 million and want to boost their attack even more. If Grealish moves there, he could reunite with former Man City teammate Joao Cancelo. However, Cancelo is expected to go back to Barcelona soon after his loan last season.