Pep Guardiola has said that Jack Grealish is still very important for Manchester City despite having a disappointing season so far.
The winger could make his return to action from injury today after Guardiola said that the Englishman will be fit enough to be in the squad for City’s FA Cup match against Newcastle United.
After being a prominent figure in City’s Treble-winning campaign last season, the 28-year-old has found himself in and out of the team this term due to injury issues and tactical reasons.
Now though, Guardiola has shared his take on Grealish’s current situation in the squad and how useful he is.
Guardiola says Grealish is still important for City
Speaking in his latest press conference ahead of today’s FA Cup clash, Guardiola had this to say about Grealish.
He said: “[Jack] has helped us but not like last season, the most important thing is he recovers well, takes a good condition and help us if we need him. I won’t say how important he is, of course, he is a lot but we have to be ready without him. To say better or worse with him is unfair, we have fought incredibly throughout the season for us to be where we are.”
Last season saw the Englishman start 39 of the 50 games he appeared in across all competitions, whereas he has only started 20 games in this campaign.
Having only scored three goals and delivered two assists, it’s understandable why Guardiola has had to reiterate how important he feel Grealish is for the team.
However, if City want to regain the three titles they won last season, the manager is right when he says that he will need all of his players to deliver when it matters.
Looking ahead to the remainder of the campaign, if Grealish can avoid picking up any more injuries and keep his levels up in training, he’ll give himself a great chance of becoming one of the first names on the team sheet, as he was towards the end of last season.
