Manchester City are hosting Burnley in the Premier League on Wednesday night – and Paul Merson believes Jack Grealish could start the game.
City have made a great start to the calendar year, winning all three of their games so far.
The win over Tottenham Hotspur in the FA Cup last Friday night was very comfortable, and there is a feeling of real optimism now after some good form since the Club World Cup and also knowing that key players are returning.
Vincent Kompany’s Burnley are in town on Wednesday night as City look to make it a perfect January – and in the eyes of Merson, it’s a game Grealish could be brought in for…
Paul Merson predicts Jack Grealish may start for Manchester City v Burnley
It’s possible that Pep Guardiola will make some changes for this game, but the game with Spurs was on Friday, giving the players five days of recovery.
The Spaniard has always liked keeping rhythm in his team and does not tend to tinker too much when the team is winning.
So it will be interesting to see his teamsheet on Wednesday night and whether or not it includes Jack Grealish, who was an unused substitute against Newcastle United in the league and Spurs in the cup.
Paul Merson believes he could start, and praised the former Aston Villa captain for his team contributions. He said (Sportskeeda): “Jack Grealish has had a bit of a stop-start season, but he works his socks off in the big games and is a fantastic team player, so I expect him to play a big role for City in the coming weeks.”
Toss up between Doku and Grealish
That left side is certainly a point of interest heading into Wednesday’s game.
Jeremy Doku recently returned from injury for City and the manager will surely want to get minutes into the Belgian’s legs so he can get back to the levels he was showing a couple of months ago.
But Grealish also needs game time, with the 28-year-old having not featured in City’s last two matches.
There is also Oscar Bobb as a possible outside bet to play against the Clarets. Encouragingly for Grealish, neither Bobb nor Doku had particularly strong outings against Spurs.
Merson – who believes City are a better team when Grealish plays – is right with his assessment of the England international. He is a superb team player, but the thing that counts against him is his lack of goals and assists.
If he was delivering more of those, he would likely not be in such a close battle with Doku.
