Andy Gray has warned one Manchester City star he could suffer a fall from grace similar to Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford if he’s not careful.
Rashford has caused controversy in recent weeks after he missed a training session ahead of United’s FA Cup tie with Newport County.
The striker was fined two-weeks’ wages and the matter is now closed but that doesn’t change the fact his form has dropped considerably after his best-ever goal return of 30 last season.
Rashford has scored just five times so far in the current campaign and pundit Gray thinks City’s Jack Grealish is in danger of heading in a similar direction.
Jack Grealish sent a warning
Grealish also hasn’t been able to reach the heights he did last season so far and has found himself out of the side in recent weeks, not starting since the FA Cup win over Huddersfield Town.
Gray has moved to criticize Grealish for filming an advert for Pepsi this past week instead of ‘concentrating on his football’ when he’s not in form.
“I can only say one thing with Jack Grealish this season, he’s disappointed me hugely,” Gray said on beIN Sport.
“I thought after the treble of last year and the joy he had winning all those trophies, he’d go up a level.
“I never thought he’d flatten out. And even drop. And he had flattened out and dropped.
“If I had him, if I was talking to him, if I was a mate of Jack’s, I would sit down with him – I seriously would – and just, almost, I shouldn’t but I’ll use it. Marcus Rashford-like.
“I don’t want what’s happened with Marcus Rashford – when he’s almost fallen off a cliff really – to happen to Jack Grealish.
“And if Jack’s not careful he might concentrate too much on off-the-field activity when he really, at the age he’s at now, should be concentrating solely on his football because everything else will follow.”
Jack Grealish does not need to listen
It’s fair enough to state Grealish isn’t playing as well as he did last year, that’s clearly a fact that can’t be argued with.
But there is zero correlation between the No.10 filming an advert and his declining form on the pitch. Jude Bellingham is in an Adidas advert at the moment but it doesn’t seem to be impacting him too much.
It’s such a lazy stick to beat footballers with and Grealish doesn’t need to pay any mind. There is no doubt that when he’s on the training pitch or on a matchday, he ‘concentrates solely’ on his football.
Pep Guardiola said in his pre-match press conference that Grealish is ‘getting better’ and he’s pleased with him. That’s the only opinion that matters.
